


Andy's Qromptober

by AndyAstral



Category: RWBY
Genre: Adding More Tags LATER, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, As if we didnt see the fair game tag coming up lmao, Brain Damage, Cat Calling, Character Death, Codependency, Dark!James, Fingore, Gen, Hanging Out, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, No beta ill die on my feet or not at all, Regression, Stockholm Syndrome, Whumptober, held captive, it happens off screen, table of contents coming soon, volume 8 but worse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:47:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 27
Words: 40,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26748304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyAstral/pseuds/AndyAstral
Summary: Man, you think I would stop hurting Qrow.Okay, Qrow isn't going to get hurt in ALL of them. I swear.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & James Ironwood, Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 166
Kudos: 97
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Mantle Hangout

**Author's Note:**

> "I'm gonna do like, 500 words a drabble."
> 
> HahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA
> 
> Kill me.

**No 1. LET'S HANG OUT SOMETIME**

Waking Up Restrained | Shackled | **Hanging**

Qrow knew that tensions were high in Mantle. the military presences growing by the day, security becoming tighter. It was just a patrol. Blake with him, they were walking back from the wall. 

Blake was always so weary down here. He had tried to distract her from her unease. Her arm had been chopped on by a beastie, aura protecting her from the blunt of the wound, but enough that it now bruised and was difficult to move. They had put it in a temporary sling.

“Back in the tribe, Peeta used to tell us stories about black cats.”

“And crossing one was bad luck?”

“I think that people got it wrong. I think it’s when you get one mad that it’s bad luck. I mean, people that cross you don’t exactly come out without a scratch.”

“And what about crows? Any stories about them?”

“Only about how smart and resourceful they are.” He smirked. "I like to think that two symbols of bad luck cancel each other out."

"Is that why you like to take wall duty with me?" She asked.

"Nah, it's cause you're a riot." And he wasn't lying. Her dry sense of humour always managed to catch him off guard.

She smiled. It was nice to see her smile. She wasn’t comfortable here, much like he wasn’t.

Lockout hours were beginning, they were unfortunate to be passing by one such bar on their way to the docks. About 8 people were being shooed out of the bar, all degrees of drunk and loud, he noticed Blake’s ears go back. Either from the noise or just the idea of being so close to so many intoxicated people. 

Qrow also did not want to be so close, spotting an alley and jerked his head towards it, hand on Blake’s shoulder to guide her that way.

“Come on, I know this is a short cut.”

Always with his bad luck. They had spotted the two. They should have called for a transport to take them to the docks. Blake’s aura was in the critical levels, Qrow had taken some heavy hits himself- but a walk was good, a change of pace, he enjoyed just existing between missions. 

He suspected Blake noticed the same time he did, or even sooner when she tugged on his sleeve, whispering “They’re following us.”

The docks were only a few blocks away, they wouldn't try anything with the cameras flying about. It didn't stop him feeling on edge, especially when he saw a group of the drunks cross the street to get behind them.

It was only when he saw a third group, recognizing some faces cross in front of them that they had been circling, somehow so coordinated in their drunken haze, giving the two no choice but to stop.

"You guys are barking up the wrong tree." He said, ushering Blake behind him. She was a grown woman, sure, but he would have done this for Ruby (who was less grown), or Weiss(who was just short). He would most definitely would be holding Yang back.

"I don't see no dogs here, just a little pussy cat."

"Back. Off." He warned, hand going to Harbinger's handle. He wasn’t about to draw on civilians, that would do wonders for relations with Mantle for Jimmy's freelance hunters going against civilians.

But they were bold tonight. Angry and focused on the first thing they saw, and unfortunately it was them, publicly known for working with the ace operatives.

They called his bluff, or perhaps they were emboldened by their numbers. 15 or so of them (where did the rest of them _come from?_ against 2 hunters? The odds were not in the favour, not more than a dozen drunk miners against two trained hunters.

But they were disadvantaged from their shift at the wall. It wasn't hard to notice that Blake shyed away from loud men, even if they weren't being aggressive. All the more reason to try and organize shifts with her at Mantle.

"Blake? Get out of here." He said. He didn't give orders to the kids, he was no team tactician, usually skirting the battle, closing any holes in the kids defences that their time at the academy would have polished out. It was why a professor chaperoned the younger years on missions. To cover their bases while they ironed out their techniques.

It was the professor's job to evaluate a situation and make sure their students don't get too in over their head. This was definitely one of those times, not with her arm and aura like it was.

"Here kitty kitty!" Someone called, with a chorus of laughter followed, with more comments of "pretty kitty!" 

It got vulgar _fast_. Feeling Blake tense, made him clench his jaw.

He had enough.

"Go!" He hissed at Blake. “I can handle them. Call for backup!” She looked at him with big, yellow eyes. He winked at her. "I'm not gonna hurt them too bad, promise."

With a steeled look stepped away in shadow. The confusion from the crowd was short lived.

"Last warning, don't do anything you'll regret." He said, pointing to a camera on the side of the wall. In the moment after, a bottle came flying at it with surprising accuracy, knocking it off it's track.

"Don't think I'll regret taking down an atlas stooge." The supposed leader of the pack said, the one with his head on straight out of all of them.

The one with the rope. It wasn't thick, more like a rope to fasten down a load. He tried not to dwell on where he got it.

"Oh man, you guys really don't know me." He said.

"You're Ironwood's buddy, aren't you?"

Oh fuck. He did not like the shift in the crowd, the muttering. He cursed James in his mind. Get people home earlier, he said. It's a good idea that somehow made it through the council. Now everyone was mad they couldn't drink past 10pm.

There was some form of irony for this entire situation. He was to focused to really think on it much.

He was already running before he heard "GET HIM!" he bolted in the opposite direction to the docks, jumping a wire fence. He just had to go down another alley, or get up on a roof, pulling Harbinger out to launch himself up, away from eyes so he can transform and fly-

He doesn't know what hits him. It's heavy, and it rocks his entire body when it makes contact with his head.

A fucking _glass beer bottle_ just shattered the rest of aura. He staggered, and tried to continue running. The pause as he clutched his head was enough for someone to catch up with him, and take him to the ground.

The second hit to the head took him out for a second.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.-_

He feels hands grabbing his arms, Harbinger dropped, or taken he wasn't sure.

The noose around his neck fastened tight, he brought his hands up to try and undo the knot, but with his skull feeling cracked, he was dragged across the road, the crowd of drunks noise deafening as his ears rang.

The smell was worse. He could almost name some of the bourbon, the cinimon whiskey, spiced rum, cheap, watered down beer-

"Hoist him up!" He heard, "Let's show Atlas what we think of their fucking laws!"

He was on his feet, then he wasn't. 

He was grateful in their drunken haze they didn’t do this properly and snap his neck, or hold on to his legs so he would choke faster. They were content to draw this out.

"Look at 'im dance!" He faintly heard one say, and cruel laughter of the crowd followed, he kicked his legs, knowing it was useless, but still trying to gain some form of respite as his hands worked to pull his neck away from the rope. It was too tight. Far too _tight._

His vision spotted as he gasped, feeling his strength sap away from him as agonizing seconds that felt like minutes passed. 

He had seen hanging's in the deepest parts of Mantle where the law was in the hands of the many, where one accused and convinced by opinion taken out into the forest. He had come across corpses, decayed, sometimes in clumps on the ground from age. Sometimes fresh, but never so fresh the animals didn't get to them. 

He was grateful they managed to avoid hanging woods when they made their trip here. The kids weren't ready to see something like that.

Oh gods he hoped no one let the kids see him, he couldn't pry the rope away, couldn't reach behind his neck to the knot. A part of him wished they had tied his hands, so he knew it was hopeless from the start.

Everything was fading. 

And then he was falling, not like a freefall. Like 

He didn't hit the ground- feeling arms around him, strong, familiar arms and the smell of springtime. As he was sat on the ground his vision returned to him as he wheezed, each lung full of air treasured like it could be his last.

"Dispatch, how do I help a victim of a hanging?" Clover's voice said, he barely heard him through his sputtering, nearly missing tender words of comfort. "Hey sweet bird, you're going to be okay."

He couldn't speak, still gasping for breath, bringing his hands up to his neck, the rope had nearly cut into his flesh, tender and painful to touch, feeling like it was bleeding anyway.

He could see past Clover, at the several people on the ground with their hands behind their head, some of them knocked out- the ace op was guiding him to lay down, he didn't have the energy to do anything but let him guide him limbs. "Don't move." He faintly heard, "concentrate on breathing."

He wanted to laugh at how dumb that was. It was all Qrow could think about at the moment. _Breathing._

"I want all security bots in the area to detect those running away and organize arrests," Clover demanded, Qrow wasn't sure to who he was talking to, using a tone he had never heard from the Captain, low, and dangerous with a barely concealed rage. “Make sure _none_ of them get away.”

He coughed harder, feeling another hand in his, smaller, more delicate.

"I came back as fast as I can." Blake said, looking close to tears. "I should have stayed, I should have-"

"Bad luck for those fuckers… amirite?" He grinned, the stretch in his jaw pulled at his neck, stinging harshly. He could only guess that Blake made it to the docks, and lucky, so lucky that they responded so quickly. "I Said, don't cross a black cat, and look ehst happened to them. "

"Please try not to talk, Qrow." Clover said softly, hands on either side of Qrow's head so it wouldn't twist. Right. Possible spinal injury, or just so it didn't hurt.

Blake held tighter with her good hand.


	2. Family Ties part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: fingore.

**No 2. IN THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY**

"Pick Who Dies" | Collars | **Kidnapped**

He did not like Jacques Schnee. He was everything he hated about Atlas. The snobby, high society that looked down on anyone that wasn’t born from money. Of course, Jacques would insist that he was in fact a self made man, one that worked his way up the ladder through grit and determination and marrying the boss’s daughter and then taking over from nepotism.

Truely, a self made man.

It was hard to sympathize with rich people's problems. Oh no, my personal chef didn’t skin my grapes and now I have a sore throat. Woe is me. Oh my workers want rights? Well they should work harder not to get injured and maybe i’ll think about it.

Jacques Schnee was in the one percent, and Qrow wasn’t ashamed to admit he came from beyond the ladder hierarchy, not even the bottom rungs, but in the dirt below.

It was hard to sympathize with a wealthy family that have eaten with silver their entire lives, that didn’t have to forage or hunt for their next meal.

But it was easy to feel sympathy for a frantic family.

Winter had gone to get brunch, somewhere nice in Atlas, a little cafe where she would get a fancy latte and read. He figured that it was Winter’s habit to come to the same cafe, and not take her weapon with her on her day off, because the operation that went off was like clockwork, no person misstepped. Winter didn’t have her weapon, they were so far inside Atlas’s inner circle that carrying a weapon was unnecessary, and frowned upon. After all, what grimm would you be fighting in the middle of Atlas, the safety place in the world?

They used White Fang masks, something that had media buzzing like a kicked hornets nest. The White Fang had been disbanded in Atlas, in Mantle for years. The SDC wouldn’t stand for having such a group within the city. Qrow seriously doubted that it was real White Fang members. They refused to talk to Blake at all- calling her a traitor, but at the same time, did not one mention her bastard ex boyfriend.

The ransom call was not far behind the kidnapping. So here he sat, with James standing by the window, Jacques speaking to his banker, and Willow Schnee staring at the scroll, waiting for another call. He didn’t know much about the woman other then she kept out of the public eye, and from the little he heard about her from Weiss, she wasn't exactly present most of the time.

The smell of wine encased her every being.

“We’re going to get them back.” He said, forcing himself to speak. His throat was still injured, even if his aura had healed most of the bruise and Jaune giving him a quick once over, he still felt as if the rope was still there. He heard the softest of sounds from James. He didn’t have to look to know that he was frowning.

Much to everyone’s grief, Weiss had been taken too. The sisters had made time to be together to chat over dessert. And on this particular weekend they had finally made the time. His flock had wanted to get involved, but with how delicate the situation was, the lot of them had been sent into the tundra on missions to keep them from doing anything dumb. He hadn’t been above asking James to send them away. There had been arguments- they wanted to be here, to try and do anything-

He was worried for the both of them. Honestly? He was terrified. This was a near flawless execution. They knew what they were doing and probably were not opposed to hurting the Schnee's if it came down to it. 

He heard the barest of sniffles from Mrs Schnee, who had not moved from her seat since the ransom call. No one had reassured Mrs Schnee that her daughters were going to be alright. She blinked at him, blue eyes bright from unshed tears. It truly dawned on him how utterly ignored she had been since this all began.

“Hey.” He said, moving to sit next to her, she looked surprised that he was even speaking to her. “Your girls are tough cookies, they’re going to be okay.”

“If anything happened to either of them...” She murmured. “I never told Winter...”

Qrow had only faintly registered that Jacques had strolled across the room to where James was.

“This is your fault.” He snapped. He didn’t know if it was from talking with his banker to get the obscene amount of money into the Lien. 

“How the hell is this my fault, Schnee?” James snapped back, a lot quicker then he would in any other circumstance. Qrow knew that James would have deployed the entire military if he had a less level head on his shoulders. So they did it the way the kidnappers wanted. Waiting for the call, transferred the money, because they didn’t want a digital trail, they wanted lien in a briefcase.

“Whatever secret operations you’re doing, you’ve dragged my daughters into this!”

“Winter joined the military willingly, and Weiss is a freelancer- neither of them have been dragged anywhere-”

“Except for some underground hole and who knows what is happening to them in those Faunus hands!”

This was not good for anyone, he could almost feel the tension in the air. He was stepping in for Jacques sake. He would not survive getting a right fist to the face from James.

“Stop fightin’, cut it ou-” He coughed, and James instantly stopped to put a hand on the back of his shoulders, he shouldn’t have tried to raise his voice. “Fightin’ not gonna get them back.” He growled out. 

“Why _is_ Branwen here?” Jacques asked sharply, not looking impressed at the injured huntsman.

“Because he has experience in this, and I want him here.” James said. Once they get a location Qrow was to beeline over with the Schnee’s weapons and let them rain hell on those stupid enough to have taken them.

“Pay the random, get them back, and when they’re safe we bring the house down on them and get your damn lien back, nothin hard about it. only thin’ you lose is time.” Qrow said. "And you're fucking insured for the ransom money anyway."

He did not like Jacques Schnee.

“Now. Looks like they only wanted to grab Winter, someone wanted to make a scene and get the military involved.” He continued. “But she’s still a Schnee, they both are.” Even if they both ran from their father as soon as they could. “I mean, you’re going to look like a shitty dad if you don’t pay.” He said. “Mantle is already suffering wall breaches. And from what I remember, that’s where your voter base is.”

He hated having to appeal to Jacques sense of pragmatism, instead of anything that resembled paternal care.

The second call came three hours after the first. After a very brief talk with Jacques, Qrow took over.

“Proof of life. Let me talk to them.” He demanded. It might have been cold, but he needed to make sure they were alive.

“Here is the smaller schnee.” a ruffled, and then what sounded like tap being pulled off flesh sounded like a slap, before a sigh of relief.

“Qrow!” Weiss sounded exhausted, but not scared,

“Weiss. Where were you stabbed at Haven?”

“Stomach, my right side.” It was a question to see if Weiss had been undressed in anyway and an imposter speaking for her instead. He needed to make sure they were still alive.

“Who won the arm wrestle between Yang and Nora?”

“Neither. Yang disengaged her arm.”

Definitely Weiss. And if Weiss was this calm, then Winter was still alive.

“Winter.”

“Branwen.” She said in a tone he knew too well, of patiences that was always on its last thread.

Yeah, that was her.

“You got your proof?” the kidnapper asked. Qrow did his best to memorize the voice, the accent, even if it was muffled in some attempt to hide their identity.

“Yeah.” He confirmed. "We need more time to get the Lien, the bank needs another hour."

"We gave you people a specific deadline." 

This was why he was here. Jacques would panic, and James could not be provoked.

"The bank needs time to get the Lien out of the vault." Qrow said though strained lips. 

"Not good enough. Bring Weiss over here."

 _"Don't you dare hurt her!"_ Winter snarled on the other end. Qrow kept his hands steady, not looking up at the three sets of eyes on him.

"We can't guarantee that the little Schnee will be in one piece." He said, before he could say anything Weiss screamed, high pitched and Qrow froze. It wasn't in pain, but surprise thank gods, he knew what pain sounded like- Willow covered her face, Jacques looked pale and James would look away from the window. "Fingers are so... easy to lose."

All the while he could hear Winter in the background, swearing with a ferocity he had never heard from her before.

"You're going to be okay, you both are."

"You shouldn't tell fibs." the man on the other end said.

"I'm not." Qrow hissed. "They stay in one piece."

"You really are in no position to negotiate here. I mean a finger isn't all that much to lose, but this one is a singer, isn't she?" He said. "A more fitting loss would be her tongue, I'm sure it's worth more."

Winter had been regaged on the other end, her curses cutting off. He heard Weiss gag, as if someone had shoved something into her mouth to get to her tongue. Now, you can't see, so let me paint you a picture. I have a knife, and it's in her mouth." He could hear teeth against steel, and the quiet whimpering of a 17 year old girl trying not to scream.

He didn't look at the two parents, he was doing his best to stay calm because if he didn't and lost his cool then both Winter and Weiss could be hurt.

He was going to murder them. 

"So, what will it be? A finger, or her tongue?"

They can't seriously be asking him to _choose_. Only then does he look up at the pale face of Jacques. And Willow couldn't seem to manage to breathe.

They're asking what was worth more on their daughter.

"You're right. Her tongue is worth more then a finger." Qrow said lowly. Making the choice for them, for _Weiss_. 

He just hoped that Weiss would forgive him for it.

"So what is a finger worth?" He asked. Weiss breathed in heavily, Qrow stayed silent. "And extra fifteen minutes each?"

Weiss _shrieked,_ and Qrow felt like all his blood had drained from his body, feeling his skin tingle from gooseflesh. 

"You have an extra thirty minutes." He said. "This is an excellent compromise."

There where a lot of things he wanted to say, a lot of threats he was going to make good on.

But he had to play their game. Weiss's screams turned to cries, sobbing heavily at the pain.

“Where is the meet up?” He managed to ask.

They wanted Jacques himself to make his way into one of the old abandoned mines with the briefcase of lien, and they would accept no one else, when he hesitated, Willow jumped from her seat, strided across the room and pointed a finger into her husband’s chest.

“How _dare_ you.” She hissed through tears. “If you won’t go, I will!”

“Willow- no-” James began.

“That’s a wonderful idea!” The kidnapper chimed on the other end. “Mrs Schnee will come to the mines and make the trade.”

“Then it’s settled.” she snapped, glaring so harshly at her husband, who looked cowled for the first time in his life. "I am getting my daughters back if you can't."

Qrow did not like Jacques Schnee. But he was warming up fast to Willow Schnee. Negotiations continued until the time was settled. They had to plan the next few hours precisely, of the might get neither of them back.

He just hoped his chest would stop hurting from how hard his heart was beating. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Willow honey I love you but you werent supposed to make the drop off. But you are now because I can't help it.
> 
> A little late because I decided to take Weiss's fingers.


	3. Family ties part 2

**No 3. MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY**

Manhandled | Forced to their Knees |  **Held at Gunpoint**

Qrow felt like he had spent a lifetime being patient, following the transport as it trugged into the tundra, going further and further out. Into the horizon. The chill in his wings would have made his teeth chatter, if he had human teeth right now.

The drop off was an old abandoned mine, tunnels stretching for miles underground. They would be infested with Grimm at this point, but if these people had cleared a path, they would never find them if they tried to follow, more likely getting lost, especially with the centinnels making more tunnels.

It was a lot harder to follow down into the mines. No wind to glide on, and his eyes strained in the darkness. He couldn't follow the trail of lights that guided willow through the winding tunnels.

The two Schnees were tied down to chairs in the middle of the large cave. It was dark up in the cavern where the light didn't reach, so he perched high, and waited. He could see Winter, bruised from what looked to be her attempts at escape. He could see Weiss, and his heart leaped at the bloody bandage around her right hand.

Willow had nerves of steel. Not even a shake in her hands as she put the briefcase on the table before her. He spied the blood on the corner of the table.

They all wore white fang masks, hiding their identities… but none of them had any visible traits. No horns like in the security footage, or tails or ears.

"Five million lien." The one counting said. He only needed to look at the stack of ten thousands for a few minutes. Willow exhaled, having been tense when they had begun to count.

"Oops. Looks like there has been a mistake." The head ransomer said, Qrow recognized his voice from the phone. "That's only enough for one Schnee."

"You said five million." She said, voice high.

"We only even meant to grab this one. I may have forgotten to double the price." he stood between the two Schnee's. "So which one will you take with you?"

Wait. Wait. WAIT. He wanted to spring out of his hiding spot, but it wasn’t yet the right time. The guns to the girls heads’ were too close. He needed them to move away, but with how things were turning out, they now might not.

"Don't make me choose,  _ please _ ." Willow whispered, terror in her eyes. "I can have another 5 million ready by the end of the night."

"No." He said simply. "By then the military would be circling our location and blocking off the exits." So only one of them is leaving."

He waited. Waiting and waiting and waiting. He tried not to think of the choice. If Weiss was chosen, Winter would die, and James would retaliate one hundred fold. If Winter was chosen and Weiss were to die the ransomers weren’t going to get to vacuo before Winter tracked them down.

Revenge isn’t something that came up often, but he could see the kids dropping everything to find the ransomers. Ruby… He honestly feared what Ruby would do. She was a deadly little thing, they all were, but Ruby wouldn’t hesitate to maim, and do so without blinking.

“You don’t benefit from killing one of my daughters!” Willow looked between the two girls. Weiss was pale, white jacket and skirt red with her own blood. “Why are you doing this?”

That seemed to get the leader’s attention. Qrow counted eight of them, three more than what they initially thought were involved.

“Why?” The ransomer repeated. “Why? Because fuck you, fuck your husband, and fuck the Schnees! That’s why!” 

“The more faunus that got hired, the more that we regular folk were replaced and let go!” He sneered. “Many of us here worked for the company all our damn lives, only for some feral animals to come and take our jobs.”

It wasn’t a secret that Jacques preferred Faunus. They had better eyesight, in the dark, durable in ways humans weren’t. At least Faunus were guaranteed a job in the mines if they couldn’t find work anywhere else.

Qrow never saw any ‘no faunus’ signs outside of businesses, but there was always the sense, when he entered bars and got the quick up and down, looking for traits once he said his name.

“This one!” he pointed his own gun to Weiss’s head who flinched hard at the movement. “Is teammates- this one works with a Belladona! A fucking BELLADONA!” His shout echoed in the cavern. He calmed down, turning to Willow once more. “I’m about to make the choice for you if you don’t choose soon.”

This wasn't about money. It was about making the Schnee's hurt as much as possible. Even if they didn't plan for the two, they could have asked for a higher ransom, they could have let them both go.

Qrow dived. Letting out a single ‘caw’ as he descended, the confusion washed over the ransomers. A bird? Here? It was the only signal either huntresses needed.

He transformed between the Schnee’s and behind the leader. As much as he wanted to be the one to separate his head from his shoulders, that wasn’t his right.

He released Winter, destroying the chair and bounds with a single sweep, throwing her weapon to her in his next moment when he grabbed her hand to stop her falling to her ass. He didn’t pay her mind once she began to move, quickly doing the same for Weiss, he didn’t pay attention to the screams of surprise and terror, only dodging the stray bullets.

Winter, for all her talk on control and order, he knew that there were deep seated anger issues hidden under it all. when he was drunk and didn't care for her feelings, he would poke and prod at her until she was ready to draw on him- all to reveal to her how much of a hypocrite she was. There was a glint in those blue eyes, it was beyond rage and fury now, it was of a lion being let out of it's cage, ready to pay back all the pain inflicted towards it.

It was nearly cruel to leave them to her, but seeing Weiss's hand, her dirty, tear stained face made all sympathy evaporate like water in the Vacian sun.

His job now was to get Willow and Weiss out and away before the grimm began to swarm and get a signal out for their location- but he didn’t have to go far, before Winter was catching up to them.

“Nuteralized.” She said. And he didn’t ask if that meant dead or simply beaten down, the small flecks of blood on her blouse and cheek told him all he needed to know. Her fist tight- he could see the hankerchief, he could see the blood. “I- I got them back." She said, so quiet that he nearly didn't hear her, she looked at her sister. "We can still get them attached, it’s only been a few hours...”

He recognized the stare of someone that had seen shit, and was still processing it- retreating into the unfeeling calculating mind of a specialist that had a job to do. But she was holding her little sister’s _fingers_ in her palm, and she couldn’t ignore that.

He hadn’t let go of Weiss, who shook so hard he could feel it up his arm. He hadn’t let her go, couldn’t. Not after letting them take her fingers, not after the hell of a day she’s had.

Willow finally wailed, bringing her daughters close to her. Neither pulled away. Winter did not hug back, only leaning forward, staring over her mother’s shoulder while Weiss began to sob anew.

It had been dangerous, diving when he did. He knew someone was going to yell at him for it. But he couldn’t make Willow choose between her girls, it would have been like choosing between Yang and Ruby for him. Impossible. But the question now scratched at the back of his mind.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKay not my best conclusion, but i'm writing off the seat of my pants, okay!? It's not so much about Qrow, but i am already thinking of an aftermath sequel to this, maybe not until the end of the month.
> 
> I have nothing against miners I swear, and I REALLY didn't mean to make race a factor / theme in all of this. Because from the prespective of the miners, they're loosing their jobs to faunus out of some favourtism/ preference, because Jacques only values faunus workers over human workers because they have a few extra things to help them.
> 
> You can pry anger management issues Winter out of my cold dead hands. I'm much the same, the emotional abuse that happened in my house invalidated my feelings, where anger was met with dismissal, joy met with chides of childishness and sadness with mockary. Hell, I nearly joined the military at 16 to get away from my parents myself. it's just. I feel for Winter a lot. And I just want to see her go FERAL.


	4. Family Ties part 3 (final)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Format shift because present tense is so much easier at the moment. This is a little late, it's already day 5 for me!

Alt 3: stoic whumpiees

He recognizes the look, he had seen it in survivors of Grimm attacks. Of seeing humans be torn apart, of blood raining down from above when a Griffon or Nevermore pulled someone into the sky.

He recognizes the look of someone still processing what they had seen. It replays, over and over and over in their heads as the world around them is just noise.

Winter has not let herself rest. No one could convince her to leave her sabre once they got to the hospital. She paced, she checked exits, she snapped at anyone that tried to get her to sit so they can give her a once over.

The ransomers hadn't touched her, bruises from trying to pull at her bindings were already fading green.

He's waiting once more. Winter is not one of his kids. She's a grown woman who has built a life for herself without the need for comfort or support. She had built walls for herself, over the years it became a grand castle. the drawbridge only lowering for a select few. 

Winter would be blaming herself for what happened. It was her favourite cafe. They had been after Winter, not Weiss, and the younger had been mutilated. 

He brings her something warm so she can hold it. He brings a blanket from the bed she was supposed to be resting in. He is finally, finally able to convince her to rest when James couldn't, when Clover couldn't, nor her mother.

He would have never considered himself and Winter to be friends, but he suspects there is an understanding between them that is unspoken. Qrow understood now, meeting Jacques in the flesh, seeing the state Willow was in.

She's a stubborn woman, hot headed and set in her ways, having carved herself a home in the stability of the military. She only knows how to deal with things alone. Weiss had her sister for support. Winter had no one.

He keeps people out. The castle's drawbridge is lowered, the walls have crumpled. He does not feel entitled to getting into her space. He patrols the outside, because Winter still needs time. She can rest now, Weiss and Winter both. Tomorrow would be a new day, they can rest, they can speak, and they can heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a Twitter now! @astral_andy. I reblog people's wonderful rwby art and if I get political I'm not gonna be sorry about it.


	5. Flight Interrupted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clover/Qrow

**No 5. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?**  
**On the Run | Failed Escape** | Rescue

He can't hear his own footsteps echoing the halls, his blood rushed to his ears. He's being chased, he takes turns in halls he doesn't recognize, nearly slips on carpet, and ramps into walls when he couldn't turn fast enough more times then he can count.

And he's not in any headspace to be counting, the halls are endless. The boots behind him getting closer with every second he takes to think. He slipped to his knee, slamming it hard into the ground and the pain is amplified by the cold.

He's slowed by the limp, and he curses himself for his luck. Finally, he finds an exit. The window to the balcony opened to let in moonlight, the shattered moon full tonight.

He throws the sliding doors open, freezing air enough to make him pause for a moment, but only a moment before he's running to the marble railing, throwing a leg over the side, hissing at how his knee popped.

His chaser wraps strong arms around his middle and yank him away from the balcony. He screams, he lashes out with arms and legs, but soon he's pinned down and unable to move.

"No! No! Let go!" He needs to get away, he needs to get into the sky and make distance between himself and… and…

What was he running from?

"Qrow, Qrow, please! Please wake up!" There is a squeeze in his forearms, and he opens his eyes to look.

He finally, finally realizes where he is.

Clover has pinned him. The balcony is freezing marble into his back. He's in his night clothes, nowhere near warm enough to be outside this late, away from his heated room.

He's in Atlas Academy.

He had tried to jump. He had tried to shift and fly away from the danger in his head. But that's not what Clover would have seen when he went for the balcony, his partner did not yet know of his ability.

It just hadn't come up.

He doesn't remember the dream, it had faded, leaving only the panic. He can still feel his heart against his ribs.

Clover does not loosen his grip until Qrow had managed to get his breathing under control- it's only then Qrow notices how... Close Clover really is to him. To pin him down and stop him from flailing, Clover had caged his legs with his own. He feels the flush of embarrassment on his own cheeks. He assumed Clover too, would be embarrassed if he wasn't so busy being concerned that his partner just tried to jump off an 18 story drop.

"I'm fine."

"Out of all the lies you've told me, that is by far the worst one." Clover pulled away, letting go of his arms, and curiously enough, not lifting himself of Qrow's legs.

How can he explain to the ace operative that his dreams were sometimes so visceral, so real that they force him to run? But usually, he remembered what haunted him. A gust of cold, atlas breeze makes him realize his face is wet with tears.

He shivered, Clover felt it, saw it, and slid off him, the heat of his body retreating with him. Warm hands helping him up- hands that didn't let go.

The cold makes him crumple. He was never good with the cold, the cold forces shivers out of him, his legs unwilling to move, knee throbbing, shoulder aching from ramming a wall. Clover picks him up like he had shifted, like he's just hollow bones and feathers.

Qrow doesn't fight him. He's tired.

He feels Clover's heartbeat when he leans his head on the ace ops shoulder, it's quick, of course it would be, he had just chased Qrow through the halls of the academy. 

He realizes he's not being taken to his room. He recognizes the halls now, he recognizes the way to the med bay.

"I'm fine, you don't have to carry me." he said, even if he liked being held like this. Qrow doesn't realize how tight his fingers were in the ace ops vest until he forced himself to let go.

"You're not." Clover doesnt look at him, only forward, a man on a mission with tight lips. Qrow brings his hand up to Clover's face, it doesn't take much convincing to get him to move and meet his eyes.

"Clover-"

Clover stops, the military protocols and prompt dissipates from his body.

"You scared me, sweet bird." He whispered. "You... if I wasn't about to leave, I wouldn't have seen you running, I wouldn't have stopped you-"

"Clover..." Qrow tried to smile. "I wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"And why is that?" 

"Because I can turn into a bird."

Clover began to walk again, this time a little bit more urgency in his step, and Qrow laughed even though he's tired.

"Ask James, he knows. He'll tell you the same thing."

"I'm not calling my boss at two thirty in the morning."

"Then you should believe me when I say I can turn into a bird."

"Qrow-"

"That's 'sweet bird' to you."

"Qrow I'm worried, don't be funny when I'm worried."

"And you're cute when you're worried. You have such a nice frown." Clover didn't respond, he could feel the ace op grip him tighter. "I'm fine. If you insist on carrying me, take me back to my room."

"Why do you keep saying you're fine when you're not?" He wished Clover would let it go. Why did he insist on being so serious?

It was just a nightmare. It was the first time, however, anyone had managed to catch him before he shifted.

"Call James? If he yells at you I'll yell at him back." He asked hopefully. "Because I can turn into a bird, Cloves, and I really want you to stop looking at me like I'm crazy."

"I'll hold you to that then."

"You're already holding me." Qrow pointed out. And for a moment, Clover stared, and Qrow wondering if he was contemplating dropping him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is 3.30 in the morning, Clover calls James
> 
> James, tired af: what??? Is happening?
> 
> Clover: sorry to wake you but Qrow insists I call you to confirm something for him
> 
> Qrow, in the background of the call: tell him the truth Jimmy, he's about to fucking commit me!
> 
> James: this better be inportant-
> 
> Clover: is Qrow a bird?
> 
> James: yeah??? He's a crow.


	6. Medicine

No 6. PLEASE....  
"Get it Out" | **No More** | "Stop, please"

Uncle Qrow was upset about something. He tried to hide it, but Ruby was a smart little girl. She could out to ten on her fingers, and she didn't need help up and down the stairs anymore.

Ruby wasn’t sure what, with her young mind, simple thoughts on why her uncle could be upset drifted in and out of his mind.

Why was he upset? It wasn’t lunch, where dessert was cake and strawberries. He would steal her strawberry that was covered in frosting from her plate, and when he looked away, she would steal it back from his own serving.

Was it having to do the dishes? Daddy always did the dishes, because Uncle Qrow cursed a lot when things broke. Daddy sent him away from the kitchen so he could take his place at the sink, and Uncle Qrow moved to the longer room, muting the news.

Oh!

He was missing his flask. She hadn't see him drink from it in days. He must have lost it. 

So she set out to find it. 

It was in the closet, in a box tucked into the corner. It took some looking to find it, but she was pretty happy with herself. Wanting to make it a surprise, she quietly made her way down the stairs again.

He was sitting on the floor, back to the couch, hands over his hair like he had a headache.

He always got grumpy if he didn't have his flask, she realized. He would always take a sip from it. She had tried to take a sip out of it before, and Daddy yelled at Uncle Qrow for letting her get her hands on it. Uncle Qrow said it was grown up pain killers, and that little girls should definitely not drink it.

So she had to be careful and not let Daddy see she had it. She tapped her uncle on the knee, and he looked up, startled.

“I found your flask, Uncle Qrow.” She whispered. “You don’ have to be upset anymore.”

She didn’t understand the look of something she had never seen before. It was burned into her mind, and it was only when she was grown did she really understand what that expression was.

Grief, guilt and pure misery.

She didn't understand back then. She just understood that he was sad, and he was trying not to cry like yang tried not to cry when she had been a little too rough and tumble outside. Like he was trying to be tough, but it hurt too much to keep it in. 

He held her, smothered her, and she heard him sob, feeling him shake. She remembered how the hug smelt, of freshly laundered clothes. He didn't smell like his medicine. 

"I'm not taking the medicine anymore." He said, wiping his eyes. She sat on his lap, propped up with his legs. She gripped the flask with both hands. "It's bad for me."

"No more?"

"No more." He repeated, giving her a little smile, and hoisted her up to her feet. When they were up, he pulled the flask away from her little hands, and put it in his pocket as he carried her upstairs to find her sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that Qrow tried to quit in the past, but couldn't handle the withdrawal.


	7. Tilt

Quitting had consequences he didn't anticipate. He had gone through withdrawal before. He remembered the headaches, the shakes, the sirens call, the voice in his brain taking him he could just not suffer and have just a sip.

So he grounded himself at the academy and only leaving for missions. He had a good system in place, a new routine that he hadn’t had the luxury of since the girls were young.

The anxiety was something he hadn’t experienced before, he had never made it that far. The constant chill in his spine like he was being watched, like someone was waiting for him to lower his guard. And the noise was killing him. If he didn’t expect something to be loud, it would make his heart race like a startled rabbit, mind screaming of the danger, danger, danger he had to deal with.

But there was no danger, just the coffee machine giving a hiss of steam. It wasn’t missed that he was going for his weapon a lot when moments like that happened.

He just thought he was just sluggish from the lack of sleep. Coming back from a mission, Clover telling him to get some rest, telling him he didn’t look so hot (and he felt so, so warm) and asking if he needed to go to the med bay.

Qrow said he was fine.

He made his way back to his room, the walls both closing in and expanding away from him, he reached out to steady himself, only to find nothing, losing his balance. He managed to fall in a way that didn’t really hurt, but getting up was a problem.

So this was his life now, laying on the ground of the academy halls. At least the tiles were nice and cool, even if it did nothing to alleviate the heat from his body.

He woke up to the smell of chicken soup. He felt heavy, trying to lift his head, surprised when someone cupped the back of his head to help. His head was pounding.

“I don’t know how lucid you are right now, but you have a fever.” Summer said, blinking silver eyes at him.

“Figures.” he mumbled. His forehead was damp, finding that he had a cool washcloth there.

Raven came into the room with a bowl of soup on a tray.

“Can you sit up to drink something?” She asked. He groaned, pushing himself up with Summer’s help, getting his back against the bedhead. Warm lemonade with the bubbles stirred out with a straw. Soup salty like the sea but tasty, the vegetables soft and soaked in the cream.

“Where’s Tai?” He asked, voice straining. His vision sharpens for a moment. How long has Raven been blonde for?

“At Patch.” Yang answered. The fog clearing, a little frown on her face, one that directly matched her father.

"Don't worry uncle Qrow! You got you." Ruby said, like helping him was the most natural thing in the world. He tried not to feel guilt for mistaking them for their mothers. They weren't phantoms, they weren't replacements for women long gone in his life.

But they were here for him. They were family. It never occurred to him that while he would do anything for these two, they would be willing to do the same for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip I fell asleep and didn't work on anything yesterday my bad :0


	8. Caged part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How the eff do i tag this. Implied sexual content, implied penis biting. Darkish James
> 
> I mean, it's tagged explicit, because better be safe then sorry.

No 8. WHERE DID EVERYBODY GO?  
"Don't Say Goodbye" | **Abandoned | Isolation**

Ironwood had him shoved into a cell, not giving him a second thought. Robyn was led elsewhere. His cell was small, a lot more security, and a lot more padded then what he suspected was normal.

Apparently, Salem had turned up on a fucking whale. A memory from the dead lands, of that thing so massive it drawfed any vessel they had. It was a fortress, a spawner, he had no hope to destroy that thing when he had seen it. So he had to come back and report it.

Now that it was here? They were fucked.

It felt like days. He counted the meals shoved through a side box. 5. So if he was getting three meals a day, less than two days. If he was only getting two, nearly three days.

No one had come to talk to him yet. So that could mean a few things. He was forgotten about, everyone was dead on the outside and his meals were automated, or that there were better things to do then to retrieve him.

He was getting antsy. He was getting angry, kicking at the door, screaming for someone to come talk to him so he could scream at them back.

Finally, after 12 meals the big man himself finally graced him with his presents. Two tin soldiers came in before him, tying his hands behind him and forcing him to his knees.

Ironwood looked like he had not rested since the night he ordered the arrests. His flesh hand was gone, replaced with a black prosthetic. A flick of concern as he looked from it to James, but he was met with cold steel eyes.

"Your students have left Atlas with the winter maiden power and the relic of knowledge." He informed, like Qrow was one of his professors, like the kids had done something minor. Qrow looked hard at James.

He wanted to get up and swing at him, if he hadn't ordered the arrests, Clover wouldn't be in some hospital bed- gods, he didn't even know if Clover was alive at this point.

"Good for them." He said, the flick of annoyance in Ironwood's eyes was brief.

"So that leaves only you." He said, crouching down to eye level. "They did try and find you, I feel the need to let you know that. But they couldn’t look long."

"And I take it that Salem has fucked off, and the kids are going after her." He guessed. The silence that followed ment he wasn't too far off the mark. "Is Clover alive?"

"Yes." James said after a moment. "He's recovering well from your sword to his chest. He's lucky."

Qrow doesn't say anything to that. Clover would have been luckier if he hadn't been there.

"He says that you weren't the cause." Ironwood said. And Qrow felt his eyes prick as the scene replayed in his head. "He's naive."

"So now what, General?" He asked, looking at him. 

"Nothing. Not for you." He said, standing. "You're too much of a pain to let go, you’ll go straight to your children to assist them.”

“Why wouldn’t I go help them save the world?” He asked sharply. Ironwood glared, that coldness returning.

"Enjoy your new home."

\-----

Humans were switched from the autonomous robots, something he thought he would feel the slightest bit of relief for human interaction.

The relief dried up fast once the guy in charge of delivering his food decided that Qrow should be paying him back for being so gracious. Qrow snarled at him, promising if he got anywhere near him Qrow would bite him.

6 meals down, he continued to refuse payment, and each time the guard walked out with his tray. He’s gone longer without food before, he can manage.

But as time dragged on, he was getting desperate, but he had water. He can last three weeks on water alone. But he was weakening fast. The pain in his stomach is the only thing he can feel, and most days he was lying down, conserving.

He needs to stay in fighting condition. He needs to be ready for when he is able to run.

So he gets on his knees for the guard 19 missed meals later to give the guard his payment. The idiot thinks that Qrow forgot his promise to him.

Qrow bites.

It's the effect he wanted. Medical staff is brought down. The guard has to explain what happened, why, exactly, he now needed a reattachment, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what he had been doing.

It's enough to get Ironwood's attention. At least he had the decency to be furious. It's enough that he drags Qrow out of his cell to a nearby cafetiera and lets him choose the food he wants like it's some form of apology.

He doesn't speak. Only eating with as little manners as possible, not using utensils. It’s petty, and it’s such a little form of rebellion that he had. He's still a prisoner. He's still at their mercy.

He can't get the taste of flesh out of his mouth.

He can sense something about Ironwood. Resigned. Ironwood doesn't speak for a long time as he watched Qrow. But there is something more. 

Regret?

Qrow wants to snap at him, he's not allowed to feel regret for this.

He tells Qrow everything that's been going on unprompted. Qrow only listens because he has no choice to.

"Your students are in Vacuo." He starts with, and Qrow paused to stare. He's glad he's useless to the general. He narrowed his eyes. Why would Ironwood tell him that? “They’ve made contact with Theodore last I checked.”

“And why are you telling me this?” He asked. “I have no information on Theo that you don’t have.”

“I just wanted to give you an update. They’re all alive in one piece.”

He doesn’t show it but he’s relieved. When he's taken back to his cell, the blood is cleaned, and his guards are metal and programming once again.

Ironwood looks like he wants to say something, but clenched his jaw instead, and left without a word.

He was alone, and he preferred it.

His meal load had doubled, more than likely making up for the missed meals. When six meals had passed, the AK's entered his room again. He rolls his eyes at them, at the extra security. Honestly, what could he do? Other then take a swing at Ironwood's stupid face.

They inject him with something after forcing him on his knees again. It burns on entry, but they don't bind him, and when they let him go he grabs the back on his neck.

"I'm taking you to your new quarters." Ironwood said, turning his back on Qrow, expecting him to follow.

He does, keeping three paces behind him, the bots trailing after. Ironwood doesn't speak. As he leads him out from where he had been kept.

When they make it outside, feeling the night air cool on his skin - Qrow acts.

Qrow doesn't hesitate, breaking away, shifting for the first time in what felt like forever and got into the sky-

A shock of his nerves lighting up in agony all over his body, and it didn't stop when he forced himself to turn back, he came crashing back into the snow, a silent scream unable to push past his lungs.

When he rolls to his back, the bots have their guns trained on him, waiting for their orders. But Ironwood does not tell them to shoot, he gets on one knee, into the snow.

"Consider that a lesson." He said, brushing bangs out of Qrow's hair. Qrow did not like the light touch, how mental black fingers traced down his cheek.

He was forced into a transport, the windows blacked out. He stays on the opposite side of Ironwood. Enraged but silent.

He recognized the building. He recognized the elevator. He recognized the view from the wide windows to look down below.

“These are your quarters.” Qrow finally said, unease growing in his gut. The bots stayed outside the door.

"I'm sharing them with you." Ironwood said. "I should not have left you in the cell. It was cruel of me."

Qrow doesn't let his guard down.

"I'm sorry for what happened." He said, Qrow knows he means it but he's still angry. He had been left to rot somewhere like garbage. This wasn't something you could easily apologise for like they had just argued and needed to blow off steam.

He had taken Qrow's ability to fly away, his blood felt close to boiling. They were not friends, and Ironwood acting like they still were made Qrow want to scream.

"Then why am I still a prisoner?" Qrow finally snapped.

Tall walls crumbled, as Ironwood's face fell. Qrow was startled at the sheer vulnerability, the exhaustion.

“I don't want you to leave me." He whispered. 

He knew now that something fundamental was broken within Ironwood.

He wished for the isolation again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one really just got away from me.
> 
> Ironwood's own isolation, the own stress of the siege and clean up and his own breakdown resulted in him latching on to Qrow. His interest isnt sexual in nature, more of a need for companionship. He regrets the incident, and in his own mind is making it up to Qrow by bringing him to his quarters where it is safer.
> 
> Anyway, there is going to be a part two to this.


	9. Caged part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: implied self harm.

**No 9. FOR THE GREATER GOOD**

"Take Me Instead" **|** "Run!” | Ritual Sacrifice

James knew that Qrow would need time to adjust. He'll get used to it. Qrow was always half feral, fighting was his default response. So he had to be patient with letting him get used to things. So he let Qrow yell at him, they were the only two people on this floor after all.

Qrow had a habit of learning things the hard way. He learnt he wasn't allowed in the kitchen area because James did not trust him anywhere near the knives. He had already mapped "no go" zones, which were only three places, the kitchen, James' room and his office. The nanobots in his blood did not allow it. The perimeter was given the same treatment. He would be unable to leave.

Qrow broke things out of defiance. James let him. He would eventually tire himself out acting like a brat. Things could be easily replaced. It gave him an excuse to replace objects with sturdier copies. Slowly "Qrow proofing" the penthouse. He had been pretty annoyed when Qrow had tipped the bookshelf. Qrow had looked him dead in the eye in the reading room, pale red boring into James as he put one hand on the wooden frame and pushed it away from the wall. Cleaning up was a pain, but now at least Qrow wouldn’t be able to do it again when he drilled the bookshelf into place, and Qrow lost his reading room privileges by doing so until he learnt to behave.

Qrow wouldn't let James touch him. He understood. Not after the incident- the guard was fired, and when he found out the rest of the guards knew it was happening they got the same treatment. If the incident had already not been in the public record from him needing to be rushed to hospital something worse than being fired would have occurred.

He couldn't apologise enough. So of course Qrow wouldn't want to be touched. He just wished his friend would believe him when James said he wasn't going to hurt Qrow. There was always a flinch where James moved too close to him, and anytime James went to touch him, whether on the shoulder as a sign of comfort or on his back to nudge Qrow in the right direction he shrugged away.

James tried not to let it hurt. He had to build that trust back. He wasn’t a selfish person, but he couldn’t let Qrow leave and be left alone again.

They had breakfast and dinner together, lunch James was at work, so he ordered room service on most days. He didn’t trust Qrow to actually order for himself, he would absolutely order 400 lein of food as a fuck you.

He liked making breakfast for the two of them, asking what Qrow wanted as a small routine as he set the coffee maker to boil. It had been a hassle getting him to sit at the table, taking unbuttered toast off the plate to go leave the kitchen, not bothering with the rest of the spread, but he eventually got tired of fighting James on that. Every day was a little more process, a little more interaction that he was always happy for.

He would give Qrow updates on his kids movements, always seeming tense when he brought it up. But he always looked up with interest when he talked about Clover and his recovery. There was an angry heat in his chest, and he didn’t know why. He wasn’t jealous of Clover and how attentive Qrow was at any news about him. So he might have begun to tell Qrow how agonizing the spinal reconstruction was, how sick and tired and angry Clover was at his hospitalization. And he knew that Qrow would blame himself for Clover’s condition, because Qrow was the kind of person that would blame himself for everything. After all, it was Harbinger that nearly killed Clover.

The change in attitude was near instantaneous in the following days. Qrow would flinch at Clover’s name in shame and guilt. James wished he didn’t have to do it, because Clover didn’t blame Qrow for what happened. The fight was no one's fault but Tyrian's. He was still at large unfortunately. James wasn't even sure if the Faunus was still in Atlas, or Mantle. He was public enemy number one.

If he was still in the kingdom he hadn’t gone after anyone, he hadn’t gone after the new councilwoman, who had been hounding the General on Qrow’s location. James told a convincing enough lie, that Qrow managed to escape and probably on route to his kids. Robyn eyed him suspiciously that meeting, but seemed convinced enough. If Qrow didn’t turn up in Vacuo, then it could be assumed something happened to him on the way. Who would suspect that he was keeping Qrow in his own quarters? 

Even if she had dropped the subject of Qrow, he didn’t expect to gain her trust. It thankfully didn’t come to abandoning Mantle, not from choosing to fight for it, but having no choice but to dig their heels into the dirt and defend themselves. Robyn had venomously called for his removal, but the other two council members knew they couldn’t afford instating a new general in these troubled times.

By some miracle, it worked. They still needed to regroup and rebuild, they couldn’t just send people to Vacuo just yet, they needed time.

Things were slow going, but after several attempts on trying to leave the floor and several fails afterwards, Qrow had stopped trying to leave. He knew that when Qrow was quiet, he was up to something. He wasn’t going to let his guard down so easily.

But he didn’t have to be so worried. It seemed that Qrow was done with yelling. Qrow was talking to him more. James had allowed him access to half the kitchen, letting him have access to the coffee machine and fridge so he can get his own snacks.

Qrow didn’t have anyone else either, and he felt another twinge of guilt for keeping Qrow here alone. James set out to fix that. It wasn't fair on Qrow, and started working from his home office more so he wouldn’t leave him by himself. At work he was told his mood had shifted significantly, that he was more at ease. He was leaving at a reasonable time now to get home as well, no longer overworking himself in the eyes of those around him.

The shift in schedule changed Qrow's attitude, he would actually seek James out, pester him to make lunch or ask him about things he saw on the news.

When Qrow called him ‘Jim’ for the first time since Salem turned up, he nearly dropped his coffee. Breakfast always had the news on in the background as white noise. The familiarness of it, of some sense of normal made him happier then he would ever admit.

Qrow froze like he had said it by accident.

Two months into Qrow being present, Qrow had the bright idea to injure himself- most likely so he could get out of the quarters to be taken to the hospital where it would be much easier to escape from. He very nearly killed himself from the blood loss, so his brilliant plan died in the crib. If the nanobots didn't double as a vital tracker James would have known until it was too late.

Paying a ward to be quiet about their patient was easy enough. James took the broken mirror out of the bathroom and replaced it with plastic film, the glass of Qrow's bathroom was thankfully strong enough to take someone trying to break it. There would be no repeats, and just for good measure Qrow proofed the house further.

Qrow being in the hospital was the loneliest James had felt, reminding him how he truly had no one. Why was Qrow so insistent on being difficult? Fine. James was patient, but if it was going to continue like this, he had to change tactics, revoking privileges Qrow had earned by being good. TV and books, the small section of the kitchen. He didn’t want to do it, but how else could he make Qrow stop and think a little more?

James changed his mind immediately when he went to pick Qrow up from the ward. It felt like he had been holding his breath for two days as he waited for his friend to be stable enough to move back to their home. Qrow was exhausted, drained of any fight out of him and looked like he wanted to drift to sleep. 

He looked absolutely miserable.

“You gave me a scare, Qrow.” He said, taking him to Qrow’s room. Qrow absolutely hated when James came into his room for any reason, and he usually didn’t have one to come in, because Qrow needed to leave his room to eat and use the bathroom. “But you’re not going to do something like that again, are you?”

Qrow doesn’t talk to him, looking like he was barely listening. James left, quietly editing the permissions back from what he had reverted them from, giving back the part of the kitchen he had been allowed in, the reading room that had been turned on and off for the last few months. He didn't need punishment for a mistake he looked to regret.

Qrow walked out of his room barely fifteen minutes later, and sat on the couch next to James, a far cry from sitting in the chair opposite him like he had previously. It could have been because he was tired, but he leaned on James's shoulder, and didn't protest when James wrapped an arm around him. It felt overwhelming, feeling someone in his arms. He could barely feel Qrow because of the metal, but it seemed to transcend physical touch completely.

That marked an end to the worst of Qrow's outbursts.

* * *

Qrow was doing better now, more calm and trusting. Talking to him, joking with him. The wounds up his arms healing well, nowadays they didn’t look so jagged. Those days were behind them now. He felt lighter, like he had less to worry about even if they still had to deal with the clean up, and still dealing with Salem.

Qrow said he wanted to get back into the field, to help fight, to which James gave a hard no. He was not about to lose Qrow to Salem, or let him have his weapon back. Too many times he had sat and waited and waited and waited to hear from Qrow, many times chalking him up to being dead, and feeling himself mourn before he was flying back into their lives, drunk and angry and in a mood to pick a fight.

This situation with the nanobots was not meant to be permanent, only until he convinced Qrow not to leave. He wanted to bring up the idea of Qrow teaching at Atlas, he knew Qrow was a good enough teacher, and that it would give Qrow something to do day to day.

He had no idea how long Clover had been suspicious of him. It could have been from the first lie, it could have been when news came back of the rogues in Vacuo looking for Qrow. 

He had no idea how the Captain broke into his home. His security system had gone off while at the academy and quickly left- because the break had been through the front door, and Qrow wouldn't have been able to step foot in the hallway.

He was blindsided. Clover always did pack a punch. His vision whites out for a moment. He faintly registered that Clover was wearing a staff maintenance uniform- he didn’t have time to think on how Clover could have figured things out.

"You sick fuck! Has he been here the entire time?" Clover snarled, coming to the wrong conclusion, missing a swing as he dodged. They broke the coffee table with James's back in the struggle. He faintly knew that Qrow was there, yelling at them, unable to get close to the two to break them up.

He underestimated Clover's care for him.

"You said he was sighted in Mistral!" 

Clover was enraged, his punches and kicks harder than any sparring match they've had in the past. The anger made him predictable- once James managed to stop a fist and twist them so he was pinning Clover, he let loose.

He was here to steal Qrow.

Metal fists were stronger then flesh, a lot stronger. Clover's aura didn't take long to break. He was barely healed up from the spinal reconstruction, he was not going to have Clover on bed rest after this, he didn’t think a facial reconstruction would be needed for a close casket funeral.

He will not let Clover take Qrow, he would not let anyone take him away.

"James! James stop! You're going to kill him!"

Clover didn't understand that he needed Qrow more than Clover did, more than the rogue faction did.

The lamp post was over his head and against his neck, forcing him up and away from the bloodied soldier below. Qrow had sided against him. The bastard always sided against him because that’s just what Qrow does.

"Clover! _Run_!" James felt like his insides were blended, his chest ached, Clover scrambled from under his hulking form.

"I'm not leaving you!" He said, "What has he been _doing to you_ -?"

James pushed back, not willing to use more force against Qrow. Clover took the opportunity to slam another fist into James’s gut, winding him completely, hunching forward, he expected a knee or kick to the face as a follow up, but Qrow dropped the lamp post- Clover’s priority was getting Qrow out.

“Qrow, come on!” He pulled at Qrow harshly, yanking him towards the hall, Qrow dug his heels into the carpet, and it didn’t take long for Clover to just grab Qrow by the under leg to pick him up- James growled- he was not letting another one of his soldiers touch him _again_. 

The moment he went over the threshold the nanobots would activate, Qrow thrashed, forcing Clover to drop him. 

"Go! Run! You need to get out of here! I can't- I can’t leave. I can't-” He looked close to tears. “Go find my kids, protect them for me, _please_!"

“Qrow-”

“Go you can’t help me. RUN!”

When he lifted his head, Clover was already limping out the door. He steadied himself on his feet. Clover's heavy footsteps going, he got up to follow, feeling a tug on his arm that he could only feel because it restricted him.

"Jimmy, please don't hurt him-"

Clover was a problem he had to deal with immediately.

“Please, please _please-_ ”

James had been kind and he had been patient. But if Qrow _insisted_ on letting Clover go _-_

James clutched his wrist, activated the nanobots, he let Qrow scream for a few moments as they pulsed through his nervous system, letting him drop to his knees before letting off, giving Qrow a few moments of respite before activating them again. 

And again.

_And again._

He had been too lenient. He didn’t stop until Qrow was curled on the ground, wheezing for breath, twitching from shot nerves, until he couldn’t try and stop James.

Clover could not be allowed to let anyone else know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO. I will finished this at a later date! the drabbles must continue! so after the month i'm going back to add the next chapter of this. I genuinely just want to take the long drabbles and make them longer stories with more detail.
> 
> Yeah NAH James is nuts. I really just wanted to get into this a lot more, flesh out James motivations and more hints as to wether Qrow was loosing it to shocklohm or playing James.


	10. Caged part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ironwood begins to lose control of the situation.
> 
> Selfharm 
> 
> Hints of Fair game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't put this story down bruh

**No 11. PSYCH 101**

**Defiance | Struggling | Crying**

Clover had already gone through his exit strategy, dashing off the balcony of the second top floor.

He fucked up. He fucked up. Why didn't Qrow want to come with him? What did Ironwood have on him that he felt forced to stay? He mentioned the kids, was Ironwood threatening them? 

Clover hadn’t expected to find Qrow, he was breaking in for information, to prove that Robyn’s theory was wrong-

Qrow was washing dishes at the sink. dressed in sleep gear, humming to himself. Seeing Qrow in the flesh made him freeze completely at the door of the living room. Qrow turned, ‘you forget something-?’ he asked, but seeing Clover made him drop the plate in his hands.

He looked at him like he was a ghost. They gaped at each other. All of Clover’s thoughts ground to a halt. The atlesian was the one to make the first move, striding forward, barely feeling himself move.

Clover didn’t care, he just hugged the man he had been missing constantly, wishing he had a chance to tell Qrow that it wasn’t his fault, because he knew he would be blaming himself for it. Qrow hugged back tightly, like if he let go Clover would disappear.

“Clover, I-”

He had been too caught up in the moment, bringing his hands up to Qrow’s cheeks, staring into brilliant vermillion eyes. He couldn't figure the words he wanted to say, so met lips with his own.

But something was wrong. Qrow wasn’t kissing back, Clover pulled away, frowning, mind finally restarting and finally letting himself think.

He only let his alarm get the better of him when he looked at Qrow closer. He was so, so pale, sickly like he hadn’t seen the sun in months. That he looked guilty, and fearful and-

The heat boiled inside him as he realized Robyn had been right, that Ironwood had kidnapped Qrow and kept him here.

Clover landed on a rooftop blocks away, catching his breath. Ironwood hadn’t followed him, or if he did, was well behind him. His scroll rang.

Well.

"Clover." The bastard’s voice rung from the speaker. Clover wiped his face, feeling his nose bleed. His entire face and chest hurt.

"Fucker." He spat. Not caring anymore. This man was someone he once admired, he had served for 20 damn years in the military, he felt pride and honour to work under Ironwood directly.

"I have a list of demands." He said, and Clover laughed.

"And why should I hear them?"

"Speak of Qrow's location to anyone, and not only will I have you hunted down, Qrow will suffer the consequences of your actions."

His mouth went dry. Gods, what has he been doing to Qrow? 

What consequences?

He had noticed that Ironwood was taking more days off, going home earlier, looking more content and less strung out.

"You bastard, you wouldn't-"

"I'll have him moved somewhere you won't be able to find him again, since it seemed to be so easy for you to figure it out. How did you find out?"

"I quit."

"No. You won't." He said. "Atlas still needs you, and frankly, I don't want you out of my sight after this stunt. Whom else knows?"

He collapsed to his knees on the roof. He fucked up so bad.

"… Robyn.” He said, defeated. “She's been in contact with the children, when he never met up with them she grew suspicious. She’s been looking into your files.”

“Illegally.” Clover barked out a laugh.

“Who are you to talk about what’s legal, Ironwood? I- I didn't believe her when she came to me with this, I believed you when you said he escaped and when you told me he was sighted! And he's been here all this time?" He wanted to scream, he wanted to go back.

"I hope he bites your fucking cock off as well." He snapped, and ended the call, smashing the scroll on the ground, the pieces of it scattered. 

He had only known about the incident from Robyn because she had somehow gotten access to hospital records. He had known nothing about it. Still didn't, just what Robyn knew, which wasn't much.

He had to save Qrow. Somehow, somehow.

* * *

When James returned, Qrow had not moved from where he had left him in the middle of the living room, broken coffee table and bent lamp post pieces scattered the room, pieces he was going to have to clean up and replace.

"He will not be telling anyone you are here." James said. Qrow looked up, fear in his eyes.

"Did you-"

"I didn't kill him." He snapped. "But he's no longer a concern."

Qrow exhaled heavily, shoulders sagging.

“If you didn’t side with Clover, then I wouldn’t have found out about Robyn’s involvement. ” He said matter of factly. The betrayal still fresh. “I contacted her. She’ll keep her own silence for Mantle’s sake.”

She had been furious, she had threatened to send her own people to break down his door but he not so gently reminded her of the shit storm she would cause attacking him. 

If they thought the worst of him then fine, let them, there seemed to be convincing them. They would keep in line at the threat, however he did give Robyn a little something extra. James would vote with her to get supplies where she wanted, and she would shut up. The needs over the many.

They had nothing to worry about. He wasn't going to hurt Qrow. He fixed his hair up, pressing it back and smoothing it out from the fight.

Qrow's shoulders shook. Hand over his mouth tight, hair obscuring his face.

He…

He was an idiot. He _did_ hurt Qrow. He didn’t even think twice. He didn't have to hurt him, he just could have walked through the hall and Qrow couldn't have followed him.

He had punished Qrow for helping Clover.

He crouched down, slowly. The trust they had built over the last few months on fragile glass.

“Hey,” he said quietly, not to startle him.

Qrow avoided his hand, pushing himself back to the couch.

That glass shattered.

Qrow didn't take his eyes off him as he back up to get to his feet and fled to his room without a word, leaving James in the wreck that was their living room.

He made calls, he arranged for Clover to be monitored and to find out the holes in his security. By the evening his nerves were shot, but he managed to make a quick meal for the two of them.

He knocked lightly. "Qrow? It's time for dinner."

In recent times Qrow would help him prepare ingredients, they would talk about the news, some daytime show that Qrow was watching intently.

Or just old memories. James avoided talking about when Qrow and his brood arrived in Altas, the time they spent on the amity project.

Qrow did not turn up for dinner. James organized a plate. He disliked Qrow eating in his room. The table was for eating, bedrooms for sleeping. Crumbs getting everywhere in the sheets otherwise. But he’ll let it slide tonight.

James could hear sobbing through the door before he could knock, he paused his hand.

He had never heard Qrow cry like that. 

He caused that.

He needed more time. James didn’t push, keeping a plate covered in the microwave, leaving a note so when Qrow eventually left his room he could grab something to eat.

James didn't sleep that night. 

Thankfully, it seemed like he had some to eat, not a great deal but something.

Qrow did not come out for breakfast either. James left out a stack of pancakes for him, today he couldn't stay home.

It was very, very apparent that something was wrong between Clover and James. A thinly veiled fury that permeated the room of the morning briefing. Outwardly, there was no change. Business as usual.

Thankfully, Clover had healed up from their fight. He called Clover to his office, who obeyed the summons.

"I want to clear one thing up." He said. “I’m not hurting him.” feeling pain in his chest because it was a lie. But it was not in the way Clover thought.

From the look on his face, Clover didn't believe him. 

“I want to talk to him.” Clover demanded, like he had a right to demand anything.

“No.”

“So he’s had no one but you for company?”

“Watch it.”

“You’ve made it clear that you’re not going to let me quit. I think I can say what I fucking want.”

It was Clover's fault that Qrow was barely able to function now, if he hadn't turned up, things would have been fine.

The council meeting was the same. A barely suppressed fury, then defeat when Ironwood kept his word on voting with her on supplies.

He just had to keep them in line from now on.

That only left to deal with Qrow. He had been trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

The house was quiet. James had not taken Qrow's reading room or tv privileges away- and made his way into Qrows side of the penthouse.

He waited at the door. When he heard nothing, he entered. His heart thumped, seeing that Qrow wasn’t to be seen- but in his second breath saw that the pillows and blankets were not on the destroyed bed.

He heard a shift in the closet, the sliding door open wide enough that James saw that he had made a bed in there. It wasn't big enough to lay flat, seeing his legs curls in, the rest of him hidden by the closed door.

He sat by it, trying not to intrude more than he already had.

“Qrow?” he said quietly. “Qrow I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-. I hurt you.” He felt heavy. "I was angry, and I lashed out. It was wrong of me. I'm sorry.

“I don’t want to be here, James.”

James stared at the closet door.

"Please Qrow… I need you." He hadn't felt so normal in so many years. He hadn't felt so rested and happy and he had hoped it had been the same for Qrow.

"I'm your prisoner." He said numbly. "I always have been."

James had come to believe that Qrow was happy, that they were both happy. So the last few weeks had been nothing but lies?

Dinner passed. No show. Breakfast came and again, nothing. At lunch, James was not having it anymore. He entered the bedroom, Qrow hadn’t moved from the closet.

James wasn't going to let him starve himself- so he grabbed Qrow by the leg and yanked him out of the place he had made a nest in. He kicked in protest, screaming "no!".

It was a scramble to get him out of his room and to sit at the table. He didn't care about avoiding the bubble around Qrow

“Sit and eat.” he said, jabbing a finger at the table.

“Yes sir.” he said bitterly. Eating in silence. James couldn't stomach to eat with him, knowing he crossed a line by going in his room and tearing him out.

"May I be excused?" He said with as much sarcasm as before.

It was a difficult few days. Qrow did what he was told, exactly what he was told. He only came out of his room for meals, sitting obedient. 

Never speaking to him.

He was just grateful that Qrow had the energy to be spiteful, but the silence was killing him.

A week later, Qrow stepped in front of James sitting on the couch, getting in the way of the TV that James only had on as white noise. Qrow kicked the new coffee table forward. James sighed, they were back to the pettiness of breaking things now.

Qrow stared at him. For a moment, James wondered what he would do.

He shifted into a black haze of feathers, the nanobots taking a moment to activate before the bird squawked in agony, forcing Qrow to shift back, hunched over on the carpet as he howled.

James didn’t let his alarm show, and he was not sympathetic. Qrow knew that would happen if he tried to shift. Qrow stood up, swaying before grounding his heels to be steady and screwing his eyes shut, shifted again.

The crow screamed like a human.

Qrow turned back, hugging himself, nails digging into his shoulders. James wasn't sure if it was an automatic response and his body reverting to avoid the pain, or Qrow's own doing, but James was on his feet.

Qrow wheezed, clutching his chest and sputtering as he caught his breath. He stared up from the ground, pushing himself to his knees and with a look so dead and glassy Qrow shifted again.

“Stop!” He demanded, panicked. James couldn't stop him from doing it again, he scrambled for his scroll, bringing up the nanobot permissions as Qrow cried out- deactivating the one that activated them when his vitals was not that of a human.

Qrow finally stopped screaming and collapsed, shifting back. James dived to stop him hitting the ground. His eyes rolled back, and he knew that Qrow was unconscious.

The prolonged activation caused vien’s of burst blood vessels to bloom on his skin. The alarm on his scroll blaring as the nanobots fed him information.

He wasn’t breathing.

Qrow wasn’t breathing. Heartbeat thudding in his throat James rolled him to his back and began chest compressions, counting to thirty, humming to keep rhythm but barely and to concentrate.

He had to call an ambulance. 

Fuck, fuck, Qrow still wasn't breathing.

"Don't leave me don't leave me don't leave me." He begged, prayed.

He could never be able to protect Qrow from himself.

Qrow's vitals sprang back to life, softly. He did a scan of Qrow's vitals- the prolonged activation could have fried his nerves and damaged him internally.

But he will live, he was unconscious, but alive. He carefully picked Qrow up and took him to James' room. The bed was bigger and unbroken and honestly much better then the closet.

What was going to stop him doing it again once he woke up?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, hand waving robyn and clover so I can keep Qrow where he is. Where am I even going with this at this point.


	11. Caged part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't reply to the comments on the previous chapter! I was working on this, and uh. Getting back on my meds that I didn't take for four days. So I'm reclimating to them and BOY the mood swings are only punctuated by sleep and shitty mobile games.
> 
> So take your meds don't be like me

The closet was nice. It made him feel buried and hidden and safe from the rest of the apartment. It's cosy and warm, and makes the hole in his chest feel like it's not there.

He's tired of fighting and crying and hoping and praying and wishing.

He had wished for someone to care enough to wonder where he was. Ironwood continued to update him on the kids status and process. All alive and well. Thriving and fighting and being together. He wonders if Yang 'fessed up her feelings yet, but he betted on Blake being the one to take the first step. 

He hoped Ruby still continued to grow and bloom. She’s going to save the world, he can feel it.

They no longer needed him to watch out for them. 

When he got his wish he wanted to take it back. He wished Clover never turned up. He can still feel the tingle on his lips, the heat of tender hands. It felt real, and the illusion of companionship he had with James came crashing down around him.

Clover didn’t hate him, and that was the worst thing he could imagine.

He wished now to stop feeling.

There is nowhere he can hide in this penthouse. Ironwood made sure to make that known to him. He wasn’t hiding, he knew that Ironwood knew where he was at all times. The closet is all he wants, no soft bed, no blinds to let the sunlight in. This was a prison, and he had let himself forget that. It’s not comfortable, but it is warm, and he could sleep. 

But Ironwood could just drag him out if he stayed in there too long.

It was another reminder that this was all built on a lie. How could he forget what flowed through his blood? Because Qrow followed the rules. He didn’t go where he wasn’t allowed, they played house so well, and the threat of pain faded.

It's the only way to hurt Ironwood. It's the only way to remember what this is.

He has to keep doing it even if it feels like he's letting fire boil in his veins.

Ironwood screams at him, horror etched on his face.

Good. Let the bastard feel pain as well.

Qrow does it until he can't feel when talons and fingers begin or end. Qrow does it until his voice is hoarse. He does it until his vision is red. He does it until he cannot force his abused body to do it any longer.

He feels like he's floating, like he is detaching from his body. He still feels the weight on his chest, but he no longer feels constrained.

He felt nothing, if he had the energy, he would have smiled.

* * *

James continued to scan Qrow's vitals. Every soft breath that was too quiet to hear had him freeze, straining his ears for the next breath.

Qrow's aura could heal the worst of it, he's survived 20 years of alcoholism, he can survive this. He looks like he would be devoured by the bed, James has a custom hard mattress and bed frame for his large form.

A tiny groan, near inaudible, heralded the dawn of consciousness. 

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm still doing a vital check. Only another few minutes." He hopes Qrow can hear him. He finishes up as quickly as he could without forgetting anything. He needed to give him an x-ray to make sure that his organs are not in danger of failing.

The small heater to his side is set on low, he hovers his hands over the vent, letting it heat his fingertips, so it is not uncomfortable and cold when he touches Qrow.

Qrow forces his eyes open.

"Please… please, stop James." He whimpers, hands trying to clasp on metal wrists. Qrow is too weak to push back. He tried to sooth Qrow but he knows now that his presences alone gives him grief.

It’s a parody of human contact, artificial warmth and touch. He’s been fooling himself this entire time. 

Qrow has never wanted to be here. Ironwood saw fear in pale red eyes, and he wanted to be sick. 

He took Qrow and picked the man apart from the inside out until he was hollow so he could find false comfort for himself.

He’s a monster.

He's always been a monster.

Qrow was only lucid for a brief moment before his hands slip away from metal. Qrow continues to sleep, and Ironwood grabs the pillows and blankets from his room to make him more comfortable, surrounding him like James knows he likes.

He waits. And waits and waits for Qrow to wake up.

It's well into the night when he finally stirs, Ironwood can hear him shuffling in blankets from the office.

He stands in the doorway as Qrow pushes himself up to sit, confused to his surroundings.

"I've deactivated the nanobots completely." Ironwood said, keeping the slur out of his voice. "No more restrictions. No more boundaries."

Qrow was free to leave, but he didn't say it, it didn't need to be said. Qrow looked at him, eyes blinking wide, only the moon illuminating the room.

Qrow reached out but Ironwood ignored the hand. He doesn't want Qrow to be scared anymore. He will no longer be his jailer. He walks out of the room, he walks into his office and closes the door. 

He will not take another second away from Qrow.

The shuffling continued, before he heard feet on soft carpet, padding across the hall, footsteps that ended in front of his office door.

"J-Jimmy?" Came a quiet rasp. It hurts, it hurts that he will never hear Qrow say that again. He had pretended to dislike the nickname. It was childish, it was below his station. Qrow did it anyway, because he always did what he wanted with no regard to authority. 

Ironwood doesn't reply. He heard the balcony door slide open, a beat of wings. He opened one of the gifted bottles of wine he kept in the small cabinet in the corner.

He deserves to be alone for what he's done.

He's never deserved anything more.

* * *

He wakes up, his shoulders hurt from being slumped over in his office chair, his head is aching, and he had a hundred missed calls and messages from Winter. It's been a long time since he had woken up with a hangover. He sits up, stretching-

\- he felt a blanket slip from his shoulders to the ground.

He smells bacon cooking in the kitchen, and slowly, slowly walked out, waiting for himself to snap back and wake up for real.

Qrow is in the kitchen, humming to himself, scrapping fat from the pan and flipping the bacon.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

Qrow doesn't speak, but there are two plates made of eggs and toast, the bacon still sizzling in the pan. He doesn’t understand, Qrow is free to go. Why would he come back?

"I'm making breakfast." He said, like it's the simplest thing in the world. He's quiet, like he doesn't want to speak. The coffee pot is already boiled. "Bacon is good for hangovers."

He tried to find the sarcasm, the taunt, but found nothing.

"Please, just tell me why you're still here."

There was some fundamental part of Qrow that was broken, Ironwood can see it in the almost lost expression he held in his eyes.

"Why would I want to go?" Qrow is looking at him like he honestly couldn't figure out why.

He stares at the man before him, unable to form the words he wanted to say. Because Ironwood had kept him here, and he was still here.

But here he was, making coffee, humming as he made breakfast.

Ironwood brings up his scroll for the nanobots, already breaking a promise to himself to never touch it again. He never checked Qrow's brain chemistry, there had never been a need.

He nearly chokes on his own tongue as he tastes bile. The side effects for prolonged nanobots exposure to the electrical currents was like that of ECT. A quick zap was to be a deterrent. But the way that Qrow had wrung out and extended the exposure had invoked side effects. He had done the same to punish Qrow with prolonged exposure.

Qrow's brain was broken. Whatever truth he was living, whatever reality his mind had settled on it wasn't one where he wanted to leave the apartment he had been trapped in all this time.

The cage door has been opened, but the bird within does not remember how to be free.

It was his fault.

He went into his office, Qrow's eyes went wide once Ironwood came back, once he realized what was in Ironwood's hand.

He pressed Due Process into Qrow's hands as he dropped to his knees. Qrow takes an alarmed step back, but Ironwood holds onto thin wrists.

"What- what are you doing?" He asked, horrified.

"You need to do this." Ironwood said, pressing the end of the barrel to his own temple. "Don't. Please. Don't pretend everything is okay."

It's what he deserves and Qrow deserved some form of retribution to take into his hands. But Qrow pulled away, and the safety clicked back on as the gun was placed on the counter.

"I don't understand." He said, trembling. "Why- I won't kill you- James- what's wrong?"

There were so many things wrong, he couldn't begin to list them. He felt shaking arms wrap around him. Warmth he did not deserve but still leans into because it’s all he ever wanted.

“I’ve hurt you. I’ve hurt you so badly, Qrow.” he doesn’t look up.

“I don’t feel hurt.” he said, like soothing a child. “I feel…. light and… good.” Qrow smiled. “It feels like a long time since I’ve felt like this.”

Qrow convinces him to eat breakfast. Qrow talks about some episodes of that trashy show he wanted to catch up on, and Ironwood listened. Ironwood went to the academy, the day seeming to go by so quickly, only highlighted with an angry, spiteful Clover. He expected that when he came home that Qrow would not be there. That the morning had been a dream.

He stares at Qrow bundled up, legs pulled under him on the couch. He looks at home and comfortable for the first time since Ironwood brought him to the flat.

"Are you coming in, Jim?"

As soon as James sat down, Qrow made himself comfortable leaning on him, not caring for the metal arm or chest.

He needs to repent for the hollow body on the couch with him.

* * *

Qrow does not find anything to forgive. He's happy as he is, closing his eyes and feeling a heartbeat through layers of a white uniform. 

He closes his eyes, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end? For now. There were several ways I wanted to end this story. A lot of them that concluded it for good, a lot of them opened ended, but honestly? I still don’t know what I want to do here. There is still Robyn to deal with. There is still Clover. There is still WHat ever the hell is going on with Qrow.
> 
> By the time Ironwood realizes that he’s pushed Qrow too far, it’s too late. 
> 
> They both get their wishes. Ironwood gets what he wants, for Qrow to stay at the cost of his sanity.
> 
> The shocks at the intensity and length they were at, the stress, the trauma, all together hurt him. He's retreated inside himself, and a different part of him is out now.
> 
> Qrow gets what he wants. He’s no longer in pain.


	12. Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is specifically an old Straw concept- when i first started writing it, it was going to have been Ironwood that attacked Qrow. a lot of the older chapters point towards Ironwood, but by the time chapter 8 came around I had changed my mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: If you are not familiar with Straw, then this is where I tell you that Qrow was sexually assaulted in that story.
> 
> Non graphic Noncon at the end. Time to update the tags.

**No 15. INTO THE UNKNOWN**

**Possession** | Magical Healing | Science Gone Wrong

He only thought it was stress.

If he were to look back on when it all started he could pinpoint when it began. The day the ace operatives and the young hunters cleared out the mines and dealt with the Geist. It was reported it had been destroyed.

Evidently not. He didn’t notice it for a long time, not until its hold on him threatened to strangle him. Not until it was too late to act.

Little thoughts that intruded into his consciousness began to build. He had been giving Oscar a reaffirming pat to the head after a round of sparring, and was shocked when the thought to grab his curly hair and slam his head into the wall made him pull away, alarmed. It was too raw and viseral.

It had to be stress.

 _Shoot Winter in the back of the head._ He had thought when she was walking in front of him. _Stain white with red, it's so good to see the red._

He wakes up one morning with larges cuts on his flesh arm. he finds the kitchen knife under his pillow. It's not serious, it heals the moment he activates his aura, but the blood had already seeped into the sheets. He doesn't know what to do. Who does he call?

It's stress. It would stop once Amity is in the air. He can't take a break to tend to himself, he was needed to lead the project. 

It only gets worse.

 _Little Crow Little Crow._ His mind sang whenever the huntsman was around. It wanted James to reach out and touch him, press his body against the smaller frame into a hug and squeeze and squeeze until Qrow can no longer breathe.

It hisses when it sees Ruby. _Get rid of her. Kill her kill her KILL HER._ He tries not to be in the same room as her, the voice always beginning to scream and demand him to take out his gun, to order his AK's to shoot. 

He sends her on the most missions to the tundra, he has Winter running errands for him. Oscar, he keeps at arms length. He cannot get rid of Qrow, he's the only one that refuses his requests, and comes into his office when ever he pleased.

The nightmares were dark like he was being pulled underwater. Nights he would wake up, gasping for air. Sometimes he could still feel the water in his lungs.

It was not water.

It was as black as ink. Mornings he looks in the mirror to see it staining his chin. He just forgets to call a doctor, and he knows now that it was because of the thing that had wormed its way inside him.

He sometimes wakes up outside, staring off the roof.

There are days he hears it speaking to him. When he looks through glass to see his reflection, the white face of the Geist is over his own.

He touches his face, and it’s not there. Some nights when he stays late in his office, he wipes his nose and finds the darkness soaking into his glove.

He can’t concentrate, he knows something is wrong but he can’t do anything about it. He slams his metal fist into his desk, the sound echoing the room.

"What did the desk do to you, Jimmy?” a voice calls out, he looks up sharply to see Qrow entering the office. it wasn't all that late.

 _Little Crow, Little Crow._ It whispers so quietly, singing in his ear.

"Headache. I'm fine." he manages to say.

"Your nose-"

He feels it drip, wiping at his nose again.

 _Don't you want to touch him? Ruffle his_ _feathers? Looking all pretty for you._

He had been surprised when he had seen Qrow choosing to change his clothes, for the first time in years. They were practical, no one looked at him twice and blended into crowds. perhaps he was looking to into it, but maybe now Qrow wanted to look fancy for once.

_Touch him, touch him._

"You need to leave." he said, a tone that wasn't a command, but a plea. More confused than ever Qrow took a step forward cocking his head to the side, and Ironwood stepped back. “Qrow, please, leave.”

Qrow ignored him. "You need help-"

 _He's never respected your authority_.

He feels rage build inside his chest. No. Qrow at _every_ step had questioned every derision he made. They were on the same side, and he acted like the general was his enemy.

_**Teach him a lesson.** _

It’s a moment of hesitation before he feels his body moving. Qrow never sees it coming.

The struggle is only brief as he tears Harbinger away from Qrow’s back, pinning him, slamming his head against the wall. He fights back, throwing an elbow into his nose, choosing to flee instead of fight.

It’s a mistake that costs the huntsman greatly. The Geist quickly fishes out the remote for the security out of his jacket, and Qrow is turning back human before he slammed into the door. Qrow was an insanely good weapons' master; tonka, sword, spear, bo staff, scythe- empty handed he was at a disadvantage- not to the extend of Ruby, but against someone that primarily did use their fists? The Geist digs into James's brain, pulling pieces of information out of him, balling his hands and taking a stance. 

It's no contest. James tries to pull away, but his body isn't listening to him. He manages to gain control of his flesh hand around Qrow's neck, dropping his unconscious body to the ground. It outwardly tuts before James feels like his own head has been struck, and the short hold he had on his own body ends.

He feels excitement that isn't his own build, feels the Geist reach into memories of nights long gone, of experiences he had not pursued for years. 

He knows what it's planning. It does not just want to touch, it wants to explore a body that isn't his, it wants to _take._

The Geist grabs a leg and dragging Qrow to the desk like a limp doll, pinning him to it's surface.

They don't notice that Qrow has woken up. His grip is feather light on James's wrists as he tries to stop hands from touching him. but the beating has made him weak. James wants him to pass out again, so at least one of them did not have to be present. The Geist pulls the bolo out from the desk draw to keep Qrow from punching it again.

James thrashes in mental bindings but he cannot move trough the black tar, he can't control his own hands as they tear away fabric - _pretty so pretty, diluted? such an apt word for the pale one-_

He can only watch, and listen when Qrow screams, begging James to stop, James can only scream inside his own head as his body is used to hurt his oldest friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR I didn't plan for Qromptober for 'ironwood does bad things to qrow', it's just that Caged grew to four chapters, and i took a break because of medication issues. and this in particular had been planned out in advance for this prompt and the next two- basically showing James- or more accurately the giest that had half possessed him and assimilating his body- in his thought process and how he covered up his own crimes. After the next two it's going back to regular whump.


	13. Whispers part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: post noncon

**No 16. A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY**

Forced to Beg | **Hallucinations** | Shoot the Hostage

When the Geist is done, it celebrates with James’s scotch he keeps on the book shelf. It saves the taste in his mouth. There are a lot of firsts for it today. He tastes blood from where his teeth had sunk into Qrow's neck and scotch on his tongue.

“Where should I keep you, pale one?” It says. Qrow is curled up on the desk facing away from them. James is not sure if he's conscious or not. When he does not respond, he takes a step closer, leaning on the desk and over Qrow’s face. “Hmm?”

Qrow spits. The Geist barely reacts, but James inwardly flinches.

"Still the disrespect." It says. It takes the glass and pours the amber liquid on Qrow's face. It knows of his drinking, his sobriety. James wishes to disappear, so at least it can’t use his memories against him.

The creature easily uses James’s technology, it’s his fingerprints after all, it’s his eyes, his vocal cords. It’s looking for somewhere to put Qrow, alive, so it could continue it’s exploration and experimentation. He can feel it’s thoughts. Qrow going missing won’t bring up too many alarm bells. A relapse. It already planned to plant the bottle of scotch in Qrow’s room- acting like he had stolen it from the office.

It’s not unbelievable. It would open the window, act like Qrow had flown somewhere. By the time anyone got suspicious days later when he did not return, they would never be able to find him.

They hear a slam as Qrow had brought his wrists and cuffs above his head and slammed them into the table. James faintly sees a spark of the gravity dust dulling- the alcohol had short circuited the device, so he is able to move them in the first place.

His joy is overshadowed with rage, it throws the glass, and walks back over to Qrow just as he brings them down on the desk again.

Qrow screams out as he hears something more than the cuffs break, it’s loud, so, so loud that the Geist winces and takes a step back, the ringing in his head lasting.

Qrow rolls off the table, and another inhuman shriek fills the room when he hits the ground, landing on his arm, something so much more than a man, the Geist howls, and James’s nose is bleeding again, but it doesn’t matter, he can move himself.

_ Magic.  _ It hisses.  _ Curse the old gods for leaving a sliver of their power in this realm. _

Having control back feels like walking out of a pool, gravity being too harsh as he stumbles, vision spotting-

Qrow wasn’t wasting time. He was pulling up his pants from where they had been yanked to his knees, struggling with them as he only used one hand to do it, the other limp and broken and useless from freeing himself.

"Qrow-?" He asked, sounding sluggish, his head pounding.

He had been avoiding looking at Qrow. Not since the creature backhanded him for being too noisy, and his cries had turned to quiet whimpers. The swelling and bruising forced his eye shut, but that diminish the expression of pure loathing and hate, of heartbreak and agony.

In a flap of black wings, Qrow was gone and a black bird was fleeing out the room.

The Geist goes to follow, but James locks his legs up, the heavy feeling in his chest forcing him to his knees as the Geist tried to take back control. 

"Don't hurt him again, _please_." 

_ But wasn’t that fun? _

He wants to throw up, their definition of _fun was vastly different_. “Why-?”

It didn’t happen. It couldn’t have. It was messing with his mind again.

He didn’t just-

No. No No NO he clutches his head, the ringing and the thumping like someone was knocking their knuckles on his skull, dull but persistent.

_ Yes. _ The whisper is no longer a whisper, like someone is speaking right over his shoulder.  _ It's such a human thing, attraction, affection, taking what's yours. _

"You’re a monster."

_ Correct. I'm not human, James. You're my only template for humanity. _

Bile rises again, and he knows what it’s going to say before it says it.

_ Deep down, you wanted to do this to him. _

He feels like his heart is about to tear out of his chest.

"No, no I’ve  _ never _ -"

_ He’s so soft and pretty. You’ve always liked him. _

A flash of an impish grin, dating all the way back to their academy days, from a skinny mistral kid that was always excited to get his weapon out and fight.

“As a friend, as a friend, never more.” he mumbled. Thinking of the vytal festival, of how the image of the confident, excited but cool headed teen was torn down at an electronic message. The voice sounded like it was following a script, like it had to go through the key points. _ I missed you, I’m sorry, you were stolen from me and now I want to mend bridges. _

Raven, who was quick to portal in battle to her teammates not resting or stopping, shut down on the spot. Qrow, more ready to stand his ground and fight,  _ fled _ .

He wanted to protect them from the voice, he had been young and naive, not thinking monsters could be human.

_ You’ve always wanted more, but were always too scared of how broken you are. _

That wasn’t true, he knew the affection he had was platonic. Qrow always treated him as an equal, always treated him as a  _ person _ when he didn’t feel like one, and tended to smack him out of the machine like mineset he found himself sliding into.

_ I know you better than you know yourself. _

He was not broken. He was different. It took years to understand that. Then the accident happened.

_ You can deny your own repression and how you've hidden your own feelings behind your broken body. _

_ But we know better. _

_ You've always known you're a freak. _

He wakes up to his scroll ringing. 

He’s in his chair, leaning back like he had only dozed off for a moment. He barely looks around the office- the blood is gone. The table is somehow fixed. The smell of scotch is no longer heavy in the air.

Thank gods. It was just a dream. He sighs in relief, easing into his chair. He has to make a doctor’s appointment soon, the stress was getting to him, he couldn’t continue like this.

He nearly forgets to answer the ringing, pressing a button on the side of the desk to answer to call.

“Sir.” Clover says, urgently.

"Hello? Clover it's late." he is weary and tired, it’s not actually that late, only about 9pm if he were to guess as he turned in his chair to look at the stars.

Harbinger was sitting in the corner near the bookshelf, and he froze.

"J-James, I found Qrow in Mantle, he's been raped."

His eyes widen, and he hears it chuckle at him, low and heavy. 

It wasn't a dream  _ it wasn't a dream it wasn't a dream. _

He nearly chokes as Clover tells him what happened, he can hear the shake in the younger man's voice. Qrow had relapsed, stumbling around in Mantle. Clover had found him in an alley, wounded, obviously hurt in a way that James had tried to block out.

Qrow was unconscious now and on his way to a local hospital. They were going to bring him to Atlas, but his condition was too bad to risk another minute without starting surgery.

_ Surgery. _ The thing in his mind repeats, not understanding what it ment, poking at his brain for images to help it understand, it brings up old memories of when he was half a man, of when his limbs had been blown off, and that moment when he had been awake and screaming.

The images replay, and replay and replay. 

"Do. Do what you have to to keep him safe." He manages to say. “Stay with him.”

_ That works out for us, doesn’t it? _

“There is no us in this equation!” he snaps, going for his scroll. He needs to stop this thing. His fingers seize up as he is about to call Winter and order her to lock his credentials. 

_ Uh uh, we don't want you to tattle on yourself.  _

It forces him to sit back down in his chair.

_ What will make him forget what happened, Jimmy? _ It asks. 

James can do nothing as it pries an answer from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slooowly catching up on QROMP and are about four behind but thankfully the Ironwood perspective I only have to follow the first few chapters for.
> 
> So the cracked and broken ribs are spoken for, as is the cracked cheek, the broken wrist and bite marks.
> 
> Remember to take your medication! Ima sleep


	14. Whispers part 3

**No 17. I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING**

Blackmail | **Dirty Secret** | Wrongfully Accused

They walked into the hospital, going through back doors and avoiding everyone they could, except to get directions to the room.

He stood, staring at the body in the bed. Barely hours ago they had him in surgery. Clover had told him they had brought in Jaune to begin to help him with mending his shattered aura.

The bandages hide the worst of it. They hid the bruises in the shape of his fingerprints and where teeth broke skin. 

The needle in his palm is small. It wasn’t hard to procure the drug. He doesn’t want the Geist to do it. It is clumsy when it takes his body. He feels its pleasure when he begged to be the one to do it, and allows it. The risks were there. With the Geist watching his every move he couldn’t use too little, but if he used too much then Qrow might never wake up. 

They had already done the blood tests to check what was in his body, if drugs had been involved. After the stomach pump, they wouldn’t be testing again. This was the time to do it. He slowly and carefully inserted it where the IV drip connected with his hand.

He hears the familiar steps of Clover enter the room just as he finishes injecting the drug. He didn’t have the time to hide the needle well and moved it to his lap. His back was turned to the door.

He wishes to be caught, he wants someone to stop him.

_ Speak to him. Do not be suspicious or we’ll snap his neck. _

James doesn’t want to risk for a second it hurting anyone else. He could make a scene, he could attack Clover here and now and the Geist would have to deal with the consequences. But he had no idea how it would act and if it would just kill everyone in sight.

He does what he’s told.

“Clover.” He says quietly shifting his hand over the needle to keep it hidden. “Explain what you know.”

The Geist is pleased with what it hears. Clover is hiding his distress well, masking his own hurt with professionalism.

James can feel that negative energy like a force.

Clover pauses before he speaks, nearly hesitant. “He nearly killed himself trying to self medicate.” 

James covers his mouth, the bile in his throat burning. Clover does not say it. The possibility was high that Qrow had tried to commit suicide. James had been so worried for his friend once he stopped drinking, once it became more and more apartment that he was majorly depressed and barely coping with it.

_ “You’ll look after them, wouldn’t you? If anything happened to me.”  _ Qrow had asked on more than one occasion. So James sent him on missions, had Clover with him as much as possible, they made good partners, worked and adapted well together.

_ Suicide. _ It muses. It has memories of its own, James seeing Atlas soldiers- from decades ago if their uniforms were any indication- turning their own guns on themselves so they would not have to face the ancient Geist.

He assigns Clover to a chase that will lead to nowhere, they need to keep him busy-

_ They. _ He hears it smugly.

He doesn’t have a choice. He’s going along with what it wants to protect everyone near him from the thing that had made his body it’s home. He can’t provoke it.

_ Are you sure it’s because you don’t want to be caught? _

He narrows his eyes.

_ The Amity project needs you to lead it. _ It points out. James feels a tweak of something. It’s right. James needs to-

No. He shakes his head. He would not let it convince him that he benefits from this. 

He dismisses Clover, and only when James hears the scruff of heavy boots move he lets himself relax completely, breathing out a sigh.

The Geist is gleeful. It likes being alone with Qrow. He grips the needle in his hand.

“Wake up soon, Qrow.” He murmurs. He shouldn’t be here, he only asked for more time because he couldn’t yet face anyone. “If the project is completed it goes against Salem.” He says.

That gets a near-instantaneous reaction out of him.

_ I am my OWN master. I do not care for the usurper’s whispers, especially now. _

He frowns. “Usurper?”

_ All of humanity is so ignorant to its own past. _ It scoffs. 

He doesn’t have time to really dwell on it before he’s standing against his will, and leaning on the bed. His eyes went wide, dropping the needle and slamming his hands on either side of Qrow’s body, arms straining, locking them.

He’s too close, too close,  _ too close _ . He tries to look over his shoulder, 

“Someone might come in,” he whispers. It has already weighed the options. It knows that the door is being guarded, and telling Clover he wanted time ment no one would be coming in for a good while. He doesn’t want to touch Qrow, the Geist pushes for him to do it. 

_ You can fight me... _

It flashes images of the night before, Qrow’s agonized screaming echoing in his mind. James bulked, he can’t-

His hand moves without his resistance and takes Qrow’s injured bandaged hand, and squeezes on the wrist where it knows bones are broken. If Qrow was away, he would be crying out in pain.

“Don’t, don’t,  _ please. _ ”

_ A few more broken bones won’t be noticed from the damage he did to himself.  _

The damage he did to escape this monster, and Clover had brought him right back to him. But if he didn’t, Qrow would have died in Mantle.

_ It’s interesting how your people are so desperate to keep your loved ones close you’ve developed techniques to cheat death. _ It muses. His metal limbs feel like they are burning.  _ Wouldn’t it be a mercy to have let him die and let him live in pain? _

What did the creature know of  _ mercy _ ? He doesn’t want to. It leans in until James can hear the faintest of breathing. Qrow is so pale he’s grey, so, so vulnerable and weak-

_ If you want to, you can kill him right now. _

His hands move to Qrow’s neck, James is too alarmed to fight it, but it rests his hands on bandages so softly, his heart raced, feeling amusement.

It couldn’t hurt Qrow again if he was dead James thinks, and finds himself horrified that he even thought it.

Qrow survived, and James couldn't take that away from him. James couldn't end his life.

_ Oh, it would be easier if we just squeeze this tube here right? _ His flesh hand moved. The message is loud and clear. The more he resisted, the worse the consequences would be. He slumps his shoulders, barely able to keep his own composure as he stops resisting.

“Qrow if you can hear me… I’m sorry.” 

He’s filled with dread as it leans forward even more until he’s hovering over Qrow’s face, pushing bangs back out from his eyes. It’s slow moving on purpose, flexing fingers to display its control.

Not even a flinch from Qrow.

It allows James to come up with scenarios as he panics inside himself. It uses his face to smile. 

It kisses Qrow on the forehead.

It’s light as a parent kissing their child goodnight, the mental image gives the Geist pause, and brings the linen blanket up higher as if to tuck him in. James can only sigh in relief. It’s silent as it lets James pull himself away.

The threat is there.

Behave, or it could be worse.

He leaves before he has to see Ruby and Yang. He can't face them.

James throws the needle in a biowaste bin and it is soon lost with hundreds of other needles of the hospital’s trash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every now and then I just remember how much Animorphs changed me as a human being and shaped my literature sense and I realize that this is just a yeerk posession.
> 
> There will be a part 4, I'm not sure about a part 5.


	15. Whispers part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair game.

When Qrow wakes up, he is disoriented and angry. In a hospital (a fucking hospital! James should fucking know better then to let him near other patients-)Being barely able to move, with no one giving him answers.

It's only when Clover walks in that he calms down, it’s only after he tries to get out of the hospital bed for the fifth time, unable to feel his legs, that Clover tells him everything.

Qrow can only lay back, stunned. He didn’t know what to process first. The two days completely dead to the world, the surgery, the news he had been assaulted.

It’s so much to take in, that he doesn’t know what to do. He's angry at himself for leaving the academy and relapsing. He's angry that his clouded mind left him open.

He had lost Harbinger, so until they find his weapon he can't even take the field- which wasn’t going to be anytime soon. His predicted recovery time was nearly two months, because Aura was good at mending bruises and cuts, but needed a lot more time for broken bones and… The surgery went well, he was told. No complications. The fact that he needed surgery to begin with made his stomach do backflips.

He wants to be able to feel his legs. He doesn’t care if it would hurt. They don’t feel like they are there at all, he can see his feet moving when he wants them too, but he can’t feel it at all.

Clove insists that he shouldn’t worry about anything. But he does. He frets about the kids. Worst still they had no idea who had attacked him. He doesn’t know what to do with himself. The kids visit him, and he tries his best to smile for them, joke about how unlucky he is and how he would be better soon.

None of them knew what happened to him, and he was grateful neither Clover nor James told them in the days he was unconscious.

He felt so exposed laying on the hospital bed. Anyone could walk in or out without his input. He couldn’t even put proper clothes on to feel less naked. He feels useless like this, he feels like a raw, festering wound that won’t close up and heal.

The nightmares keep him from sleeping. It got bad enough that his doctor was prescribing him a sedative that would knock him out in five minutes tops. They didn’t exactly stop the nightmares, it just made him stop screaming out and freaking the night staff out.

He doesn’t remember a moment of what happened. he tries, _he tries_ to remember something. A location, a face, but he only ever smells the burning of alcohol in his nose.

The kids visit him a lot, they miss him, and he misses them- but their visits leave him exshausted. 

"Hey Jim," he starts, feeling muscles in his face he hadn’t for a while. "Fancy seeing you here."

James stays at the doorway, like he doesn’t know if he’s allowed to enter or not. He’s not even wearing his uniform, so it gives him a little hope his friend was going to stay a while. He didn't have to hide what happened from James like he has from the kids.

Clover is a moment behind him, and looks surprised to see his boss.

"Morning, sir." Clover says. He's in his civies as well, having taken a few days off to be with Qrow. He’s so grateful for the company, he was sure he was going to go nuts with nothing to do. Clover had left briefly to get him something to drink, a white cup of juice in hand with a straw- something he didn’t even think about. "I didn't know you would be coming in today."

"Busy busy." Qrow says, Qrow has a hard time moving his legs, so pushing himself up to a sitting position with one good arm was a nightmare. Clover is already making his way over to help. He had tried to deny the help in the past, he put the juice down on the table next to him. "Don't be a stranger, James, come sit down."

"I… I can't stay long." He says slowly. He doesn’t meet Qrow’s eyes.“I came to see how you were doing.”

“Oh.” He tries not to feel crushed. “I’m doing okay.” It feels like he’s talking to his girls, feeling like a liar. He nearly misses the little frown Clover has.

The talk is like a debriefing. To the point but wasting no detail.

James can’t wait to leave, he notes. He doesn’t even look back. He’s busy, Qrow tells himself. It’s not because he relapsed when James had helped him, it’s not because James thought less of him now for not being able to stop someone spreading his legs for them.

It’s not because he’s weak and he’s always been weak.

And why wouldn’t James think less of him now? He was always an idiot, being so drunk- he had never thought of himself as vulnerable, in fact he felt more of a danger to anyone that tried to touch him while he was intoxicated. But he had been open to attack this entire time.

He doesn’t know he’s crying until the first hot tears fall from his cheeks. He wipes them away, but feels the pain growing in his chest as it manifests into a sob.

Gods he hates himself. And Clover is right here to witness him come apart. He kept himself together around others, being silent with his doctor who used medical terms he half understood that helped make it feel distant to himself.

The first time he cried like this was late at night, when no one was around to stop him he peeled his blankets and bandages back to see how bruised his thighs were. It became reality, seeing himself like this.

He doesn’t deserve the soothing and kind words from Clover or how he always jumps ready to help him how he can. He doesn’t know how Clover can help him now.

He did this to himself.

“I’m just being a little bitch, I’m fine.” He tries to say, but Clover is having none of it.

“Don’t be mean to yourself.” Clover scolds lightly, holding his good hand tightly. “Keep in mind, your medication is making you sensitive as well. It’s okay.”

It's okay, it's okay, the fisherman repeats to him. He's so kind and patient. And it makes Qrow sob harder, curling up on himself. He feels Clover slide in next to him, pulling him into a hug. 

He doesn't deserve this because he's just going to throw it all away the next time he relapses.

Clover is always warm when he hugs Qrow, or Qrow is always cold, he's not sure. He knows he's being selfish, wanting the ace operative to stay with him. Clover should be helping with the project, especially when Qrow can't. He's a wasted resource taking away another resource. 

Maybe that's another reason why James won't even talk to him. It's like he's back in the tribe, if he didn't pull his weight, the guilt of bringing the tribe down ate at him. He pushed himself past his limits constantly to protect and hunt and provide to feel like he's giving enough.

It never feels like he's giving enough. It's worse now, laying in a hospital bed unable to do anything but take up other people's time. 

He requests another sedative so he can be dead to the world for a while, and let's his mind go blank in Clover's arms. He can't feel guilt for using him, or being a waste when he sleeps. He rather face the nightmares then feel the constant pain in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Straw before I went off the rails: when Jaune was healing Qrow the second time, Qrow was ment to wake up, but only amnesiac to the last few days. Then I got the idea of tyrian and snoooowbaaaaaall.
> 
> I also just. Realized I didn't like the direction I was going with Qrow and Clover at the time, but since this it going to be a lot shorter than Straw I'm letting them be together for this.


	16. Cage bound part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation of caged.

Clover is the ideal soldier. He’s never far from Ironwood’s side, following orders, doing what he was told. It had been hard to hide at first how much he now loathed the general now, having to sooth over his team's concerns. It was just a disagreement. He told them. 

Things soothed over relatively quickly. Clover dotted his i's and crossed his t's, never giving more to the man he once admired.

He was damn lucky Ironwood never questioned him further on how he knew about Qrow. Robyn was a good enough answer. The thing is that Ironwood didn’t know Winter was the one who had looked into his files so they still had an ace in the hole. He never suspected her.

She kept an eye on his credit cards. It was one of the things that had been a cause of concern for her after the ‘escape’ of Qrow, how he had managed to escape, but didn’t take Harbinger with him? It sat in storage, collecting dust and forgotten.

That, and when Qrow's academy suite was cleared out his clothes had been 'destroyed.' Not donated, destroyed. The escape coincided with James ordering lunch to his penthouse even if he wasn’t there. 

She had gone to Robyn first. Not Clover, and honestly? He didn’t blame her. Even if he hadn’t still been in the hospital at the time, how would he have been trustworthy? Robyn eventually came to him. He didn't believe it, didn't want to believe it.

Winter and Clover sparred. There were no microphones in the training room where their conversation could be eavesdropped on.

“He ordered several sensor lights and new light bulbs yesterday.” She said, sword pointed to the ground as they took a mid fight break to catch their breaths.

A lot of the time they could only use those purchases to figure out what was happening within the apartment. In the last few weeks the purchases increased. A new double bed frame. Robyn’s people had investigated the building, and found what remained of a bedframe looking like every slab had been broken.

Then there was the purchase of fluffy blankets, and a lot of soft pillows. They had to be for Qrow.

Then a gaming console with several different games, she knew there were no birthdays coming up for young family members, and there was no way it was for the general, so it had to be for Qrow. It made sense, Qrow had a petulant for scroll games and was often playing with one of the kids. Had something changed for him to have been allowed to have a console in the first place?

Then with the motion lights and a whole box of new light bulbs, they were just confused. Had Qrow broken all of the lights in the house?

Winter had brought up the idea that maybe Qrow was there of his own free will, Clover firmly shot that down.

 _I can't leave_. Qrow said. _You can't help me._

There was no way he would have stayed in Atlas when his kids were on their way to vacuo, not with how Qrow begged him to go after his kids. He had replayed the scene in his head, trying to make sense of it. He couldn't stop thinking about how Qrow sounded so terrified of Ironwood when he unexpectedly came home.

The strange purchases were only after Clover went to the apartment. 

Today marked a much more odd purchase. A soft toy. There was nothing particularly special about it, it was a penguin shaped as a pillow. Ironwood ordered it online sometime in the morning and paid for express delivery. It would be arriving at the apartment by afternoon.

If they didn't know any better, they might have thought that there was a child up there.

They weren't able to exchange much. Their time in the training room came to an end but more confused then they entered. 

Ironwood called him to his office.

“I want you to put patrols out in the north, sightings have increased in the last week.” He said like it was a regular meeting, only know it was devoid of any friendliness, just cold professionalism Atlas was so well known for.

“Yes sir.” He said though grit teeth.

“Dismissed.” Ironwood said. Clover stood his ground. Ironwood looked up from his desk.

“I want to see him.” Clover said.

The sigh sounded more like an annoyed growl. “The answer is still no, Captain.”

Clover had taken to demanding to see Qrow when ever possible and out of earshot of the others. _I'm not hurting him,_ the General said, still threatening Clover too keep his mouth shut. 

"I want to know if he's okay." 

"He's fine."

"I don't trust your word." He snapped, a flash of something dark crossed the General's face. “I only know you're capable of keeping a man captive in your apartment for three months and lying to everyone's face about it."

Clover had been unconscious for two weeks, he woke up, not exactly expecting to have woken up with his spine remade with metal and wires. James had given him a lot of advice with getting used to it. 

He had watched the General's mood shift day to day. It was hectic, and Clover pushed himself to come back as fast as he could to assist. Exhaustion was his most defined state, with irritation as his mood. But finally after weeks of going home on time and working from home the general settling on something that looked at ease. He was finally relieving some stress and relaxing.

Turns out his stress relief was Qrow, and it took a lot of self control to not knock the general's teeth in. But he was waiting for Robyn to be ready to take Ironwood down and rescue Qrow.

"He's sick." Ironwood said. "And no small part was with you turning up to the apartment."

Qrow had looked so stunned to see him. 

"If he's sick, then he should go to a doctor." He said. "But that means letting him go outside and other people knowing about him."

"I can care for him." Ironwood stood and walked around his table. "Now, are you done questioning me and wasting my time?"

He could try and take Ironwood out right here and now. He could draw his weapon, he could take a couple of hits from Ironwood's gravity bullets. It would be treason. He didn't care. But then what? He knew he would loose the moment Ironwood called for backup, and Ironwood could have him executed on the spot.

Ironwood had to have been looking for an excuse to lock him up. He couldn't give him one and be even further away from helping Qrow.

He just hoped that Qrow was alright. It's been three weeks, and Ironwood was taking more time off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've sort of been working on this sequel on and off,but have a few chapters mostly done and hoping to get more stuff out for October. I'm a little behind I know!


	17. Cage bound part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took a three hour nap so this is two hours late, i try and post around midnight everynight in my timezone.
> 
> TW: symptoms of mental illness.

Ironwood had no idea what to do.

Things changed, after Qrow didn't leave. Qrow was up before him now, making some form of breakfast for the two of them.

But the changes in Qrow started small. Qrow slept more, curling up anywhere soft. His room, the couch, one of the large armchairs in the reading room, even Ironwood's own bed sometimes, usually around midday when the sun was over the bed.

He no longer avoided Ironwood, seeking him out whenever he was home.

Days went by, and it was the same. Ironwood had prayed that it was temporary, that he would snap back to being Qrow as he was. But the chances were slim and he knew that. Between Ironwood using the nanobots on Qrow, and Qrow using them on himself he basically went through electroconvulsive therapy.

He no longer used the nanobots to hurt Qrow. It was permanently disabled and he would never, never again use them after the results was… current Qrow. It's function to monitor his vitals became more and more needed.

Qrow’s heartbeat has been high since about 3pm. He called home, but got no response. It worried him, and packed up to leave for home after blitzing through his paperwork before deciding a lot of it could just be done at his home office.

The elevator ride up was slow.

Qrow was not in the living room or kitchen. There was a half made sandwich on the counter, bread open, half a tomato cut he moved to look into the reading room but something on the wall caught his attention. 

Someone had stabbed at the plaster wall. 

“Qrow?” he called out, moving slowly, feeling the hairs on his neck prick up. There was a chair missing from the dining table set, which added to his confusion.

“James?” He heard Qrow cry out, sounding alarmed. His voice came from the bathroom. James felt a rise of panic. The last time he found Qrow in the bathroom he was bleeding out. But he knew Qrow wasn’t hurt, his vitals only showed an increase in heart beat.

He kept his cool, and knocked on the door. “Qrow, what’s wrong?”

He heard a scraping sound of something across the tiles- and quickly learned it had been a chair- before the bathroom door had opened by just a crack. Qrow’s eyes were wide and wet, the fear in his face made him stare. Ironwood could see he was still holding the knife in a knuckle white grip. Before Ironwood could say anything, Qrow was flinging the door open.

For a moment, Ironwood was too stunned to move, It was like a feather had hit him. Qrow had dropped the knife before he had thrown himself around him. He could feel the shorter man tremble 

"Another shadow man?" He murmured, putting a hand on his friends back.

"Y-yeah." Qrow answered. “It turned up in the kitchen, I- I barricaded myself in here.”

The hallucinations were becoming more frequent. They began barely a day after Qrow decided not to leave. Ironwood caught him staring off into corners a lot.

“They won’t go to the bathroom?”

“No.” 

“It must be the whiter light.” He reasoned. “I’ll order new ones for the house.” 

He didn’t know what triggered them throughout the day and if they were just random, but it didn’t hurt to try this. It was probably bullshit, but if Qrow believed it worked, and it worked then it was okay. Qrow relaxed, and he walked him to the living room.

“I… sorry.” he motioned to the wall.

“Nothing some plaster won’t fix. Or a painting.”

Qrow didn’t look convinced. Ironwood knew some part of him knew he was not okay, but that part of him was ignored, like how Qrow ignored the fact that Ironwood had kept him here, that Qrow desperately had wanted to leave but now all of that was gone. He wanted to ask Qrow if it talked to him like the last one did, but decided against it and reminding him of it.

Ironwood had difficulty sleeping. He got up for a snack past midnight to find that Qrow was on the couch. He was awake, watching muted tv with the subtitles on, one of the fluffy weighted blankets pulled up around him.

"Qrow, the couch is a terrible place to sleep." He said, taking a seat on an opposite couch.

“I like the couch more.” he answered. Ironwood knew that was a lie. Qrow curled up. "They only turn up when I'm alone." 

This was his fault.

“Would it help if you slept with me?” He prompted. “Just for tonight, until the light bulbs come in.”

Ironwood slept in the middle of his own bed and actively moved to the left to give Qrow space, Qrow followed him, the blanket pulled around his shoulders like a plump cape. Ironwood felt awkward, he had not shared a bed with anyone he had not been intimate with.

“Thanks- Thanks James.”

“Just get some rest.” he said, hoping he could sooth him in some way. Qrow drifted, the small frown never leaving his face, even in sleep.

The morning went better than expected. Qrow was still asleep, curled up, having done little tossing and turning. Ironwood found he had slept very little, the same thought’s plaguing him. Should he restrict the kitchen again, so he didn’t grab a knife? No. Qrow wasn’t about to hurt himself again, and he thought he was protecting himself.

After he made breakfast, he said bye to Qrow, who half woke up to mumble bye in return. 

The council is currently working to find a replacement among the professors, even looking out of the academy to find someone that had no ties to him. They won’t look at his recommendations, they wanted someone that wouldn’t be influenced by Ironwood. At least he didn’t have to deal with finding a replacement that would listen to Oz, now with the entire world knowing about the immortal in a child’s body. And Salem. It was hard to keep that a secret when she turned up on a fucking whale.

Not how he pictured it would go down. 

He knew his days as general were just as numbered as his position as headmaster, they were having a harder time finding a replacement for him. Anyone qualified for the position was under his command, and anyone else would be completely out of their depth.

Ironically, Clover would be the perfect candidate for them if they knew how much animosity was between them now. That is if Robyn and him weren't already working on a political take over.

Something he was going to have to deal with.

He was losing his patience with Clover. Demanding to see Qrow any chance he got. Ironwood wanted to send him to the tundra on a month long mission to get him out of his hair for a while. But Ironwood did need him here to deploy at a moment's notice, and even with the anger, Clover would do what was best for Atlas.

He couldn't be petty, he's seen what his own pettiness has done, and he refused. Clover would be a good replacement for him. He just had to be ready for that day. He had thought of turning himself in, confessing what he had done. But if he turned himself in then Qrow will be taken away. They wouldn’t be able to look after him like he needed- and Ironwood needed to atone. He can’t do that if he’s not in the position he is in now.

A position that was going to be taken away from him, once he was completely off the council Robyn Hill would be pounding on his door.

He walked into the apartment with the box, Qrow was acting normal enough today, sitting on the floor playing the console Ironwood bought a week or so ago.

"I have something for you." He said, placing the box on the kitchen bench and cutting the tape on the box, then stepping away. Qrow got up, curious.

“What’s the occasion?” He asked, but Ironwood didn’t say anything, letting him pick it out of the box.

It was black, and fluffy, he spent a ridiculous amount of time looking for one that Qrow would like. The penguin was pretty fat and pillow shaped. He didn't know how Qrow would react to it, a mix of emotions crossed his face as he picked it up, looking down on it. For a moment so brief it could have just been a trick of the light there was a spark of life in his eyes.

"Thank you." He held it, staring at its face. "I… I never had toys as a kid."

Ironwood didn’t think of that. Tribe life wouldn’t afford toys to their younger members, that made sense, and by the time he got to Beacon he would have been too old to be gifted to him. It hurt, because Ironwood had been a spoiled kid. The stark contrast of their early lives becoming more apparent. He had gotten it for Qrow as a companion and comfort, and from the look on his face, he liked it a lot.

Qrow gave it a light squeeze, smiling, and held it out. "Feel it, it's so soft."

Ironwood read he'd out with his right hand, only to pause to look at black metal fingers, Right, still getting used to that even now. He didn't know if Qrow noticed him do that, but Qrow pushed the pillow into Ironwood’s face instead, it didn’t have a squeaker in it, but he vividly imagined it squeaking on contact.

"It is soft." He agreed, muffled through the pillow. Qrow was grinning when he pulled it away, it was infectious, and he grinned back.

Later he found Qrow snoozing in the reading room in the big chair, cuddling the pillow to his chest, smiling in his sleep.

No reports of shadow people today, the light bulbs had been delayed and would be arriving the next day in the morning, so when he got home in the afternoon he would start installing them. 

This was the only way to make it right. Keep Qrow happy and safe. If Ironwood couldn't fix what was broken then he would hold the pieces together as best he could.

He had to make this right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James: only I can look after Qrow no one else will do a good job.  
> *googles shadow people hallucinations and mental regression*  
> James: The internet says he has cancer.


	18. Cage bound part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FUCK THIS IS A SLOW BURN i'm SORRY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is very easy for me to write as Qrow and that says a lot about me as a person but ENJOY
> 
> If I keep as i am then by next week i would be posting every 3 hours but for now i'm just trying to catch up with Qromptober, even if i have given up on the prompts for the meantime and doing my own thing at this point >_>

The new lights help keep the shadows away. James went the extra step and replaced all the lightbulbs in the house to brighter ones. It seemed like a different place, so bright now.

It’s raining outside. He liked to walk around the balcony in the early morning, to feel the crisp air of the city.

Atlas was cold, but that didn’t matter. Inside was warm.

James made breakfast today- he had taken over a lot of kitchen duties since Qrow had grabbed a knife to defend himself. Qrow didn’t feel upset over it. He was always a cautious man. Qrow still felt bad about the stab in the plaster, something that James said he would fix, but Qrow wasn’t sure he had the time to do it.

Pancakes made from a bottle with water added was a quick start to the day, but pretty flavourless. Qrow always smothered them in maple syrup.

Nora was the same, but then again if you put a plate of pancakes in front of her she wouldn’t complain.…

He missed her.

“Qrow? You look like you’re spacing out.” James said. He blinked.

“I’m fine.” He said, pushing the girl out of his mind, he grabbed the bottle in front of him. “We’re nearly out of syrup.”

“I’ll put it on the list.”

“And whipped cream, and actual flour and baking stuff. Your cupboards are pretty bare.” Beside the box of ingredients for premade meals, and there wasn’t much room for deviation.

“I never have the time to do anything from scratch.”

“I have a lot of time.” It's only a statement, James winced. He couldn’t fathom why. "I want to make a cake."

"What's the occasion?"

"I just want to make a cake." He said. 

“Okay, you make the list… I don’t think I even have a cake tin.”

“I didn’t think of that.” Qrow said. “Well, I guess I know what I’m doing today.”

They said their goodbyes for the day, and Qrow went through the kitchen to see what James had. Not much in the way of baking. He started on a list; rolling pin, hand mixer- he wondered if he could start making bread from scratch as well.

Once he was done he moved to the living room where Wobs was waiting patiently for him, and pulled the toy into his lap, and gave it a pat on the head.

“TV or Games?” He asked, and got no reply. “I did want to try and speed run to Hornet, so game it is.”

The game had his attention for a few hours, only grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl for lunch, James fussed when he didn’t eat, so he was making an effort to. He decided to add more fruit to the list. He had a sudden craving for blueberries.

Now he was going for self imposed challenges because he liked the game a lot more than the others.

"What do you think, Wobs? That I can finish it in under an hour?" He asked his new friend. He held the pillow in his lap, head pointed to the tv with button eyes. “Aw, but that means I would have to skip a few of my favourite parts.”

The phone rang, he got up to answer it. James usually called around this time, he glanced at the wall to the clock, and made eyes at the hole in the wall from the knife.

“Qrow?”

He didn’t respond, feeling himself go cold.

“Qrow, can you hear me?” 

The voices were back, and they sounded like Clover again. “Hey, I know you’re alone up there, we can talk.” it said, Qrow sank to the floor. It sounded so much like him it hurt. He always took that low, concerned tone when they were alone, when he wanted to talk personally. But there was a sense of urgency. “You’re okay, aren’t you?” it asked. “Are you hurt? Did James hurt you?”

“I’m fine.” He said shortly. James didn’t hurt him, James didn’t hurt him.

Yes he did.

Yeshedidyeshedidyeshedid a part of him screamed.

No. 

He screwed his eyes shut, the scene in the living room didn’t happen. It was just a nightmare.

James had been looking after him. James didn’t hurt him.

“Qrow, it's okay. You need to tell me why can’t you leave the apartment?” It asked. “If I know, I can help you escape.”

Escape? Why would he want to ‘escape?’ He wanted to be here. It was safe, it was warm.

He was happy here. Why would he want to leave? 

He wished the ghosts would leave him alone, and everything would be perfect.

“Please don’t call again.” He said. “Please. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Cloves. Please leave me alone.”

“Wait- Qrow! Don’t hang up-!” He ended the call, and before he could move the phone rang again. He didn’t answer it, clicking the hang up button and left it off the line so no calls could come through.

Clover was dead, and it was his fault. His blood stained the white of the tundra- the light left his eyes. He saw his ghost, felt it’s lips on his. Qrow was put away for it, in a small room so far underground he wanted to scream. His jailers disgusting and cruel and-

He had to get the taste out of his mouth. He gagged from the memory. Qrow didn’t ever go into the office, not having a reason to, but it’s where James kept his liquor. 

He found the strongest bottle and took a sip, he gagged like he was a teenager, the burn like an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. He pushed through it, and took a bigger gulp.

He stumbled back to the lounge room when he had his fill, feeling light and heavy, brain dampened. He tripped on nothing and was crashing to the floor, barely missing the coffee table as he fell between it and the couch.

“Sorry you have to see me like this, Wobs.” he said, rolling to his side to look up at the toy that sat, still staring at the tv like how Qrow had left him. “This is normal for me.” 

“Oh. I think it’s been a few months. Uhh…. kinda drank about a week into being at Atlas, but that had been the last time. I didn’t tell anyone, felt bad about it, but that had been the last time. Promise. It’s still longer than I've gone in years. Girls would be proud of me.”

He was their hero for years, and that illusion broke in Argus, at the farm house and they finally saw what he really was. 

Worthless.

“They don’t need me to chase after them anymore. They’re not little girls wandering the forest alone. They’re huntresses.” How many times had he drunk himself into a stupor from the memory? It was too close a call, if he had been one second later... “They don’t need me, none of them do.”

They didn’t need him to catch them anymore. The training they got from the ace operatives was more than enough for them to make their own safety nets. He was glad, he really was that they were able to look after themselves and each other. He didn’t have to be there for them.

“I’m going to take a nap, Wobs.” He said, rolling back over. “I’ll continue the game later- let me...”

He fumbled for the remote and changed the channel to something else so Wob’s can watch something instead of the pause screen.

Sleeping made things hurt less.

He woke up to James’s familiar hard hands, shaking him softly awake. He must have slept much longer then he thought.

His head hurt.

“Can you sit up?” He asked quietly.

“I drank.” Qrow said, and didn’t have to confess. He could smell it on himself. Any other time he wouldn’t have felt guilty going through the expensive liquor, because James rarely touched it, and someone had to help him get rid of it, and it might as well be him.

Drinking didn’t make him stop hurting anymore. Qrow’s eyes welled up shamefully.

“I know, it’s okay.” James soothed, helping him to sit up. 

“It’s not, I said I wasn't drinking anymore and I did.” He said, trying not to sound pitiful, but his lips wobbled. “I just didn’t know what to do to make the voices go away.”

“Were there shadows?” He asked. James always asked about the shadows, if they tried to hurt him or spoke to him and what they said.

“No.” He couldn’t shake his head, it hurt and made his head spin. “Just voices. Clover. He was asking if I was hurt.”

James went tense next to him, and he regretted mentioning the ace operative, burying his head into his knees. James didn’t outwardly blame him for what happened, but he knew he did. Clover was his right hand man.

“Did he call up on the phone?” He asked, and Qrow remembered he left the phone off the hanger. 

“Yeah.” Qrow said. James was astute.

“I’m staying home tomorrow, we can sit up late watching a movie tonight.”

“Okay.” he answered, and stumbled to his feet, James was there to steady him, firm like the tree he was named for. He helped Qrow to the dining room table and got him to sit, he moved around the kitchen and was back with a glass of water and some unpopped tablets.

“Water and some aspirin.” He said. “What did you eat today?”

“Pancakes and a banana. And some whiskey.” He frowned and huffed. “Who keeps giving you the smokey stuff? It’s like deep throating a campfire.”

“Have… Have you deep throated a campfire before?”

Qrow pretended to give it some thought, and grinned “Funny story, did burn my tongue a little last time.”

“Story for another time, right now let’s get some food in you.” James said, crouching at one of the cupboards. 

“Mac and cheese.” Qrow requested. It’s been a while since they had some. ‘it’s so unhealthy’ James sighed when Qrow had requested about five boxes worth of the stuff, but he saw the appeal of it when at 3 in the morning when it only had two steps to it. Boil the pasta and then dump the cheese packet into it. James wasn’t a lazy man, but one with little time on his hands.

“Okay, mac and cheese it is.” he said. “But I’m putting chicken in it.”

“Then it’s not mac and cheese anymore, it’s just cheesy chicken and pasta.”

“So you don’t want chicken?”

“I didn’t say that.”

James made him the mac and cheese and chicken- only enough for Qrow. He was still set on making something ‘actually edible’ for dinner. When Qrow was done, he washed his dish and made his way back to the living room. His head hurt a lot less now.

Wobs was still sitting watching the tv. He gave his soft friend a squeeze as he sat back down and pulled Wobs back into his. The memories of the day fading fast as he started to browse the selection of movies- if he didn’t choose now, they would spend half the night trying to decide.

After dinner, they were back to the couch, Qrow got himself comfortable leaning on James, Wobs in his arms, and a blanket covering them both.

He liked nights like this, where it was just them and the quiet, he didn’t care what they did, whether it was sitting and reading, or James working and Qrow playing a game.

“You said you needed me, didn’t you?” He asked in a quiet part of the movie. James tensed. Qrow had tried to remember the context of when James said that, but he only remembered darkness, and a pain in his chest.

“Yeah. I said that, but Qrow-”

“I need you too.” he said, trying not to look at James so he couldn’t see how much it pained him to admit it. But he wanted James to know. “I don’t know what to do without you.”

James was someone that didn’t know how to really give affection, but he was getting used to it. He felt James shift behind him, moving his metal leg off the couch so he could pull Qrow in closer, wrapping his arms around Qrow.

“I’m sorry.” James said, voice sounding cracked into his hair as he curled around the smaller form.

He didn’t understand. What was he sorry about? He didn't dig too deep into his head. It always brought up bad memories.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” He mumbled, turning his head, his ear pressing into his friend’s chest. He liked hearing James’s heartbeat, he liked it when James held him like he was worth something. Everything hurt less when James was here. He felt like the ghosts and shadows and voices couldn't hurt him. 


	19. Cage bound part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll come to edit later I fucked up I slept in again and OOPS BIRTHDAY PARTY I FORGOT

It was still raining when Ironwood woke up. He was finding that he liked sleeping in on these kinds of days. However he did promise to make ‘good pancakes’ with the new ingredients they had.

He realized it was not his alarm that was beeping, but his scroll warning him that something was wrong with Qrow, he woke up completely, and moved past his office. It was cold in the apartment, which was odd- and he found that the balcony glass doors were open-

-and Qrow standing still in the rain and mist, looking up at the sky.

“Qrow!” Qrow turned to him, he was soaking wet and not shivering, fuck. Meaning he was either out there for only a few moments, which he doubted from the cold of the room or he was past mild hypothermia. The rain was only just above zero, stopping it from it basically being snow. He ran into the dining room table trying to get around it- Qrow wasn’t even wearing shoes- he could see the frost building up outside. Atlas rain, especially this high up, could kill someone if they were unprepared. 

He ran out, feeling just how cold the rain was when it began to soak into his hair, gently guiding Qrow in by the arm back inside despite his panic, blaring the heating in the apartment UP. James let go of him once they were inside, slamming the balcony door closed. Qrow dripped on the already wet carpet from where the rain had been pushed in. Ironwood rushed into the bathroom and grabbed as many towels as he could.

Qrow was still standing where he left him, watching freezing drops fall from his hair though half lidded lashes. “Qrow, how long have you been outside for?” he asked urgently, Qrow blinked rapidly, and his body seemed to react immediately to the cold, gasping like he had been hit.

“Why- Why am i- I wet?” he shuttered.

“You were outside in the rain.” Ironwood told him, looking at his hands, shaking, but not shivering.

“Don’t- don’t remem-re...re-.”

Moderate Hypothermia it is.

“We need to get you warm. Can you undress?” He already knew the answer was no, and already knew that he was not letting Qrow move anymore then he had to. He grabbed scissors out of the kitchen. “Qrow, I have to undress you, okay? Don’t be alarmed.”

He waited for a nod, even the slightest of ones before he tore through Qrow’s sleep shirt and the rest of his clothes. Knowing they were a lost cause he threw them into a pile, deciding to dispose of them at a more convenient time. He pushed the awkward feeling down, Qrow wasn’t naked for long as Ironwood wrapped him in a robe, then more towels, then a blanket, before helping to dry his hair and kept a towel there so his head didn’t radiate his heat away.

Qrow wasn’t responding much. Ironwood had to get his core warm, and at this point only hot water bottles could help. He didn’t have heat packs, and made a mental note to restock his medical kit, but he did have water bottles for when his joints got stiff.

Qrow had been outside for less than 8 minutes, according to his security. Ironwood multi tasked as he turned the kettle on, scroll out and watched Qrow’s vitals- moderate hypothermia, thankfully closer to mild then severe. It seemed that Qrow had activated his aura at some point, whether on purpose or instinct and it had prevented him getting close to the next stage of hypothermia, so all he had to do was warm Qrow back up, slowly, and get some warm fluids in him.

Qrows hands were opening and closing, silently asking for something that his voice couldn’t. Somehow, Ironwood knew what he wanted, as he waited for the kettle to boil again, he walked into Qrow’s bedroom.

He found the penguin pillow on the ground likely where Qrow had dropped it and finding that it was still warm. Qrow’s eyes lit up, and he lifted his hands to take the toy into his arms, pulling it to his chest tightly as his arms locked up like vices. He closed his eyes, burying his face into the toy’s.

“Qrow, can you recite the alphabet for me?” James asked. He needed to make sure Qrow stayed conscious. His friend leaned back.

“A, B, C…” Ironwood took his eyes of the pale man, Slow, but functioning. He dumped a packet of powdered chocolate into a mug of hot water, only adding enough milk to make it not scalding. “D, E... F, G...”

“Here.” He said, helping move Qrow’s limbs so he could hold the mug to help warm his hands and hopefully have him drink it as well. Ironwood was relieved to see that Qrow’s temperature had risen, only slightly but it was good news.

“What made you go outside?” He asked, sitting with Qrow, tucking in a hot water bottle between the towels.

“I do- donno.” He said a slight tremor in his shoulders. “Don’t remember.”

Hus just looked confused- and at the moment it didn’t matter why he went outside, but making sure that Qrow would be alright now.

“Okay, if you do remember, tell me.” He had been trying to think. Did a shadow convince him to step outside? No. Qrow was terrified of the shadows, and their whispers. Maybe he slept walked, him not being conscious would explain why the toy was on the floor when he carried it everywhere.

He called a doctor in for a house visit. He had to. He wasn’t risking hypothermia even if he knew he did everything right, not when Qrow’s heart stopped less than a month ago. The doctor came from the same ward from where he had sent Qrow before so he could recover from his…

Before when he first hired the ward Ironwood had given them the lie his friend had been suicidal and that Salem turning up had broken him, that he kept him away from the public eye. That he couldn’t leave the apartment, that he was there in secret because he had been a spy in the past and needed protection. 

If the doctor saw any holes in his story he didn’t point them out as he gave Qrow the all clear. Ironwood felt like he could finally relax. They moved Qrow back into his room.

“Can you go get him another hot beverage, please?” The doctor asked him, he nodded. Qrow made a displeased sound. 

“I’ll be back in a moment.” He assured his friend. This would be the first time in a while he had even been in the presents of another person, and the last time he had been alone with someone that wasn't Ironwood was when Clover...

He kept himself from rushing back in, and made the hot chocolate, spurting some whipped cream on the top. He treaded quietly, making sure that neither could hear him by the door, listening in.

"-Is this your friend?" The doctor asked. Doctor Shell had met Qrow before, when he was treating him for blood loss and patching up his arms. That is if Qrow even remembered going to the ward in the first place.

"Wobs." Qrow answered tentatively. 

"That's a cute name. Like wobble?"

"Yeah… I’m glad I didn't take him outside with me. No use both of us getting wet. He is a penguin though, he might like the cold.”

“I see.” He said. “My daughter has one of these, I nearly made the mistake of putting it in the dryer.”

“I don’t think Wobs would like the dryer.” He said. 

"I'm back." Ironwood announced, Qrow perked up, he sat on the bed for a moment to help Qrow get his hands on the mug. He finally had a pink flush to his face from all the warmth.

"I just need to speak with James for a few minutes, will you be alright alone?" Doctor Shell asked. 

"I have Wobs." He said squeezing his elbows since his hands were occupied. The doctor only nodded.

"Shout if you need anything." Ironwood said. Once out of ear shot Ironwood turned to the doctor.

“I need to speak with you.” And it seemed like the doctor had the same idea.

Ironwood came clean to the doctor about the health issues, and how they were from the nanobots. He lied enough that the nanobots malfunctioned due to a system error, and how he used them so that he could keep a remote eye on Qrow.

Lie after lie after lie so he could speak the truth. Shadow men and hearing voices, memory lapses, sleep walking, different sleeping patterns, childishness. 

The doctor had a pretty good prognosis, but Qrow would have to come to the ward to be completely diagnosed.

Something Qrow was against.

“I don’t want to leave.” He said, irritated. "Outside is cold."

“It will only be for a few hours at the most.” Ironwood tried to reason.

Doctor Shell had suggested taking him back to the ward long term, but Ironwood immediately shot it down for a number of reasons he didn't voice. 

Qrow had been so drained from the last time that he was there. Wards, no matter how expensive, were still rife with all kinds of patient abuse and he was not about to let someone else do what his own soldier did. It made him shudder to think about, and even worse with how Qrow is, would he even fight back now? Would Ironwood even find out if something like that happened again? No. he was too vulnerable now. 

They decided to postpone until Qrow was convinced, which Doctor Shell urged Ironwood to do as soon as possible.

They just needed to have him diagnosed, and started medication to help with the hallucinations. 

Then everything would be fine.


	20. Cage bound part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vulgar language in the explicit sexual kind- they talk about the dick bite.

Clover had been minding his business with the reports after dismissing his team. Ironwood was back today, after spending yesterday with Qrow. He couldn’t stop his foul mood on those days. At least when Ironwood was at the academy, he was away from Qrow. Today he still wasn’t in, and it was past 9am.

They kept their distance from each other unless they absolutely had to interact. His team kept on talking about the ‘weird energy’ between the two, and he had to keep smiling and saying that things were fine. Things were  _ not _ fine. So distance. That is, until Ironwood cornered him and slammed him against the wall, it winded Clover, not expecting the force behind it.

“Did you call my penthouse?” He hissed. There was an anger in his eyes that Clover had never seen before. For a moment he was terrified of what the hand around his neck could do.

“I did no such thing.” he gasped out, and Ironwood twitched his fingers, squeezing harder with his left hand as he lifted him off the ground and slammed him against the wall again. Clover wheezed, kicking out, trying to find traction on the wall with his boot as his hands kept a grip on the General’s unforgiving metal arm. “Check your logs! If I called there would have been a log!”

“I did, and I found nothing on my end.” He said, but never loosening his grip. “But I checked what  _ you _ were doing two days ago, and you were conveniently out of security’s sights for the time of the call. You wouldn't be stupid enough to leave a trace- Only stupid enough to try something so blatant.”

Clover stared wide eyed. Ironwood couldn’t be fucking serious, could he? That implied that Qrow was allowed near the phone, firstly.

"I did not call your apartment." Clover said through grit teeth, not looking away from the dark blue of a raging ocean that threatened to take him under completely. He had respected the General, once upon a time, but he had never feared the man- not until now, not until he threatened to snap Clover’s neck right here in a hallway.

“This is your only warning. Do not try to contact Qrow again.” He said, and dropped the operative. “Or I will be sending you on long, cold missions scouting caves.”

Clover straightened up, breathing through his nose and clearing his throat. He brought his hand up in an aggressive salute.

“Sir yes sir, you want me to do a hundred push ups as well?” He asked, Ironwood rolled his eyes as he began to stalk off.

But Clover didn’t call Qrow, then what the hell was the General on about? His paranoia was getting the better of him. 

Unless it wasn't. Why did Ironwood think that he was the one specifically to call Qrow, if he didn’t have any evidence to point him in that direction in the first place?

Someone wasn’t adding up.

“I didn’t call your apartment, so that means someone did.” He called after him. Ironwood turned sharply. “So it wasn’t me, then who?”

Ironwood was silent as he thought, silently he had come to a conclusion, Clover could see it on his face.

“... I apologise for the misunderstanding.” He said, eyes not meeting Clover’s now.

“Yeah no, that’s not good enough.” Clover snapped, walking after him, a slight jog in his steps. “Why was a doctor called to your penthouse yesterday?” He asked. Ironwood stopped in his tracks.

It was a gamble, he played a card from his sheltered hand. Ironwood had to have suspected that Robyn’s people were watching him in some capacity. In reality, it was Winter that had tipped him off about his change in schedule. Ironwood narrowed his eyes, then looked away, his expression shifting into something he couldn't read. 

“Qrow sleepwalked into the rain and stayed out there for a few minutes. I called a doctor in for hypothermia." he said. Clover wasn’t sure if it was the truth or not, it was so specific to be a lie- and hypothermia was something. The man had just tried to strangle him because Ironwood thought he had made a call with no evidence besides his absence. He wasn't sure the General needed evidence at this point. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

He needed to appeal to that part of Ironwood, that scrap of humanity left.

Ironwood looked tired, worse, he looked worried about something.

“Is he okay?” He softened his tone. He didn’t care if he had to beg at this point, he had to know if Qrow was okay. Ironwood was silent, breathing deep. “I care about him too, James, I want to know.” 

“He’s fine. He’s recovered from the hypothermia, but he has a cold now. I just hope it doesn’t turn into a fever.” he muttered the last part more to himself.

This was the most information he had gotten out of him since the attack on Atlas. He was tired, he was apologetic, whatever walls he had up around Clover right now were down.

The General had trusted Clover before. Maybe he can again.

"Let me help.” Clover pressed.

“No.”

He should have kept calm, kept on pleading, but the flat refusal tipped him over the edge because _fuck_ Ironwood, “Why not?! You obviously can’t look after him if you’re here, if he’s sick, and he shouldn’t be left alone if he sleep walks onto balconies in the rain!”

“I don’t need you butting in again!” Ironwood hissed. “Everything was fine until you decided to show up at my apartment!”

"You mean try and  _ rescue _ him!"

"Qrow can leave at any time, he doesn't want to."

"If he doesn't want to leave, then what's the issue in me seeing him?"

The silence hung between them on a razors edge.

"Pack. Your. Bags." Ironwood said with finality. "I don't want you in my fucking academy."

"It's not going to be your academy for long." Clover snapped.

* * *

Clover took his time packing. What was Ironwood going to do, force him onto a transport? Fuck, Probably. He was in the middle of angrily shoving things into a duffle bag. When he got a ping from Winter.  He left a short message for her. Warden mad. Fight. Sending LC away. Comm bug. It wasn’t like he was doing much to help their effort in freeing Qrow, Winter was risking herself in telling him what she knew.

He could dessert, but that's treason, and could give the excuse Ironwood had been looking for to get him out of his hair, hell, Ironwood could have been banking on Clover perishing out there in the fast part of the continent.

It was later, past midday when he was called into Ironwood's office.

“I haven’t packed yet.” Clover snipped.

“I was thinking over what you said. Clover.” He said plainly, hands knitted under his chin. “And the truth is, I didn’t trust you. When I had Qrow imprisoned for stabbing you- at the time I had thought it was Callows- the guard in charge of Qrow's food made him choose between going without his meal or giving him sexual favours.”  Clover had not known the details, only knowing of the hospital report. Why was Ironwood telling him this now? He clenched his jaw, because he had to have found out in passing from Robyn about it.

Ironwood continued. “Those were men I trusted. I was furious, Clover, that people under my command would do something like that, and I was none the wiser.”

“So you’re telling me you shoved him into your apartment to protect him?” He crossed him arms. “And what, you didn’t tell me because you thought I would shove my cock down his throat? Or the more likely answer of not telling anyone that you are keeping Qrow captive?”

He expected to be reprimanded for his language, but Ironwood ran his black hand through his hair.

“I… made mistakes.” he whispered, hollow. “And.. I think it would benefit him for you to visit.”

Again, Clover couldn’t believe his ears. What was Ironwood playing at doing a complete 180? In a single moment, all his panic slammed into the front of his mind. Was Ironwood on to WInter? Was this an elaborate trap to find out exactly how Clover knows things he shouldn’t?

"I have… three conditions for this visit." Ironwood continued. "You're not to upset Qrow in any capacity."

Clover bit his tongue. He couldn’t blow this chance, not when Ironwood was going to willingly let Clover into his apartment to see Qrow. 

"If something happens, I want to know." Ironwood said. 

“Like what?”

“I’ll brief you on what I mean." He nearly scoffed, briefing, like a mission. Typical.  "Lastly. You're going to convince him to go to the doctor if you want to continue to see him."

That last one got him to frown. "Is his sickness from yesterday that bad?"

Ironwood brought his hands in front of him, clenching them tightly together. That feeling of dread came back. Because something was wrong, because someone called Qrow and that spurred this entire situation- and Ironwood had dropped it just as quickly as he had brought it up.

What ever was going on, he had to find out, for Qrow's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Okay I have three chapters planned out.  
> Clover: You see this outline? You see how it's detailed and banks on me not knowing a thing?  
> Me: yes?  
> Clover: YEET I convinced Ironwood to think for a minute.  
> Me: Winter, I'm sorry, you were supposed to have a speaking part this chapter.


	21. Caged bound part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Okay it's 600 words now let me buff it out and post it"
> 
> 1,000 words later.

Qrow didn't want to go. 

James was quick to drop it, but he knew it would come back again. The doctor had tried, but James had made it drop it as well.

"Once I convince him I'll make an appointment." He said, quiet, but Qrow still managed to hear James speak to the doctor.

Despite the antibodies and rest and warmth, it didn't help him stop getting sick the next day. What bad luck it was to wake up with a sore throat and runny nose.

James made him breakfast, mac and cheese and  _ bacon _ and holy shit was bacon a game changer. It turned the easy meal into something that was even  _ better _ . James had been determined to stay, stating that he could work from home. But Qrow knew that mondays were shit, and James shouldn’t skip them. Not for him.

"I don't want you to get sick as well, get out of the apartment." He sniffed. “I can look after myself for a few hours.”

“Okay, but I’m going to call and if you don’t answer I’m coming straight home, okay?”

“Fiiine, but you have to bring home bagels.” he countered.

He had wanted to make a cake, but he was too dizzy, and definitely should not cook food right now. At least not to eventually share so his germs didn’t get everywhere. 

Before he knew it the phone rang. He hesitated. He hoped it wasn’t Clover this time, but if he didn’t answer, then James would get worried.

“Qrow, Hey.” James said, and Qrow relaxed. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” He growled, and laughed softly to himself at how garbage he sounded.

“You certainly sound healthy.” James drawled sarcastically. 

“Shh, I only got several frogs in my throat, only got to hack them up.”

“Keep drinking warm drinks."

“Yeah, don’t worry so much!” He said, then thought to himself a little more. "I still want bagels.”

“I’ll get them, don’t worry.” He chuckled. There was a pause, this was where he would say goodbye and hang up. "Qrow… we should really think of you going to the ward-"

There it is. Qrow had been waiting for it. "No." Qrow said shortly.

"Just for a diagnosis. Not to stay. Not for anything else. I promise."

"I don't want to go there again. I don't want to go outside."

"We can change where." 

Qrow was having a good day. No shadow people. No voices. Maybe they were taking pity on him because he was sick, but that never stopped anyone from kicking him when he was down before.

"Soup… soup will be nicer." Qrow said, propping Wobs up on the counter, on an angle so his little face was pointing at him instead of at the ceiling. Just something easy, vegetable stock, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes boiled with a handful of herbs and spices to get the flavour bubbling. Atlas was good for one thing, and that was soup was always a valid option.

He made a very conscious effort to remember to turn the stove top off.

"I know. I should go. I really should. But… I don't know." He said. "The lights have kept the shadows away, and if I go outside, they might be there. Waiting."

He knew that the shadows weren’t real, but that didn’t stop them feeling real. One time, one touched him, and it felt like a searing burn on his arm and he screamed out, making James come running.

James couldn’t see the shadow, he couldn’t see the burn, but when he touched Qrow’s arm it hurt like it was real.

“It’s safe here.” He said, putting Wobs on the table, he turned back to get himself a bowl. “I don’t want things to change.”

He was sluggish, and really just wanted to nap once he was done with the soup, laying on the couch in his blankets, cocooning himself and listened to the tv, holding Wobs but let him face the screen.

He heard the door of the penthouse open down the hall. He didn’t get up to see him. He heard keys be put on their place on the coat rack.

James said something, like he was calling down the outside hall.

"Jaaaames." He called out, the frogs still in his throat.

"Hey, Qrow." James said, moving into the living room. He had a paper bag with a familiar brand stamped on it. "Bagels."

"Baaaagels." He repeated, he shifted so he wasn't half laying down and making room for the tinman. "Cream cheese?"

"Yeap." He confirmed, and scratched at the back of his neck. "Hey, can we talk?"

Damn it the bagels were a bribe. He took his hand off the bag, even if they smelt delicious. 

"If this is about going out-"

"No, the opposite, really." He said quickly. "I don't want you alone here."

"Great, I fuck up one time and you want to get me a baby sitter." He pulled his arms back into the cocoon. "Who do you have in mind? Don't tell me you're gonna have Winter come up here."

"I was talking to Clover, actually, and he misses you." Qrow blinked at him. "And he would like to see you."

He was waiting for the sike, the laugh, but James kept a straight face.

"Don't be a jerk." He said.

"Pardon?"

"I said don't be a fucking jerk." Qrow said louder. Kicking the blanket off so he can stand. "That's not funny, that's really not funny."

"I don't understand what's funny about it?" He said, Qrow stumbled from when his foot got stuck on the blanket, James quickly got to his own feet to help, but Qrow was already stabilized. 

"Clover is dead, James."

James frowned. "Clover isn't dead."

"Yes he is. I watched him- I watched him bleed out in the tundra. I watched the light leave his eyes. And you're telling me he miraculously survived my sword-" The words got caught in his throat, he brought his hand up to try and stop the cry from breeching his lips. "Going straight through his chest."

The sick crunch, the surprised look in those sea green eyes, how they dulled as life left them and how they reflected the sunrise. 

Qrow wailed for him. Qrow begged long gone gods to let him take Clover's place. Clover deserved to live. The world needed him more than it needed Qrow.

Qrow shouldn't have fought back. He should have let himself get arrested quietly- hell he should have stopped Robyn from attacking.

Then everything went to hell.

"I- fuck." James said more to himself, he reached out to Qrow. "Qrow, Clover is alive, did you forget that he came to the apartment?"

Was… was James telling him that Clover coming to the apartment in a maintenance uniform actually happened? The kiss that felt so real. That James nearly strangled Clover, that he-

He felt his skin prick of electricity.

James pressing down on his own wrist and agony agony agony as his body felt like acid was blooming in his body, clawing his insides.

"He's dead, he's dead he's dead." He insisted, because that didn't happen. James didn't hurt him. Clover was dead. It was just a bad dream.

"Qrow, please calm down."

"Why are you being mean?" It was a bad joke, James never had a good sense of humour, but he had to have known this was shit. "He's dead! This isn't funny!"

"Qrow?"

He missed the footsteps in the hallway, he didn't see him until he was right there.

Clover.

Clover Clover  _ Clover _ . The same as he was. Uniform stark white and pristine, eyes, full of light full of concern for him. They way he combed his hair back, they way he moved.

Too familiar. Too much.

Beep. Beep.

James was looking at him, like he was there. "See?" James said, putting a hand on Clover's shoulder, who barely reacted. Still looking at Qrow.

"Hey..." he said, smile tentatively like he didn't know how to act. Qrow felt tears on his own face, when had he started crying?

Clover took a step forward, Qrow took a step back, watching Clover's hands.

Oh.

They were  _ both _ hallucinations. That had to explain it. The shadows always tried to convince him James was hurting him.  He laughed. James didn't come home. The small smile slipped off Clover's face into a look of confusion. He finally glanced to James, who looked stunned. 

"Qrow… have you thought he was dead this entire time?" Qrow was out numbered. He wouldn't let the question distract him. He just had to get past them both so he can run to the bathroom and lock it, and wait for the real James to come home.

_ Beep beep beep _

"Makes sense. You've left me alone for too long, binding your time." He said. They didn't drop the act.

"Qrow, I'm here." Clover whispered and took another step forward, putting a hand out- to touch to touch to touch-

"NO!" Qrow said, the lights flickered above. Clover stopped in his tracks, looking hurt and he tried not to care, but it wore his face, a face he wished to never see again. "Why are you here? I can't be more sorry then I am!"

"I- I don't blame you for what happened." Clover said softly. "I never did."

He wouldn't put his guard down even if the words hurt, because they were words he wanted to hear to ease his own conscious. 

This was selfish of him. This was cruel of his own brain to torture him like this. Why convince him that James had hurt him? That Clover was alive? 

_ Beepbeepbeep. _

"Qrow, please, sit down." James said, trying to keep an urgent note out of his voice.

An opening, past James. Qrow followed his own protocol as he darted for the kitchen. 

"Qrow, don't!" James yelled, panicked as Qrow grabbed a knife off the chopping board.

Office. Office had a chair he could use as a barricade. He slammed the door, deciding the desk would make a much better barricade. The shadows couldn't move through doors. It seemed to be the only thing ever stopping them. The lights where a fucking sham that he had let himself fall for.

The voices called, knocking, slamming on the door, but he shut his eyes, keeping his back against the desk as he dug his feet into the carpet to push back. 

He could only wait for James to come home. He really wished he had grabbed Wobs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Qrow: hey you know the reaction you had me have? Well. What if I reacted worse.  
> Me, sighing, tearing up another chapter I wrote in advance: i hate all three of you.


	22. Cage bound part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: mentions of noncon
> 
> Okay i definitely have to update the tags but this isn't exactly Stockholm syndrome? technically? someone who knows more then me explain,

Qrow's heartbeat wasn't slowing down. The lights continued to flicker harshly above them.

Qrow took a knife with him. Ironwood's heart had nearly stopped completely at the sight of him grabbing it. He's defending himself, he's not going to hurt himself again, Ironwood reasoned. But what if he did to escape the shadows in his mind? 

"Qrow? Qrow!" Clover said sharply through the door. "Please, let me in, whatever you're going to do with that knife-"

"Go away! James will be home soon!" Qrow called back, Ironwood couldn't miss the tremble in his voice.

Qrow thought neither of them were real.

"Stop banging! You're upsetting him!" Ironwood said, pushing Clover away from the door, he growled, but eyes fell to Ironwood's scroll.

"Is that… is that D.R.L?" He heard Clover say next to him, he barely glanced to the shorter man.

Discipline and Restriction of Location. The nanobots were first designed for field work. But they worked well to potentially leave prisons completely automated.

No one noticed when a vial of the final product went missing, not after he erased the existence of said vial.

"Yes." He answered. He had to keep an eye on a drop in blood pressure, turning the constant beeping down. His eyes hurt from the harsh lights blinking in and out.

"No wonder he won't leave!" Clover said, horrified. "You're stopping him!"

"I'm not-"

"STOP LYING!" Clover roared and shoved back against the solid mass, angry wet eyes glared at him. "You've been disciplining him, like an animal!"

He didn't have time for this. Qrow was still terrified and they needed to calm him down.

It went dark. If some shadows popped up in the room with him Qrow will freak out-

The swing he should have expected, because only Ebi would be stupid enough to try and fight him, again, and again took him by surprise.

Damn him. Bringing Ebi here was a mistake. Ironwood should have gone with his gut and kept Clover away. He had let himself lower his guard and out of desperation admitted he needed help with Qrow.

Ironwood couldn't say no to his friend. He couldn't force Qrow to do anything he didn't want to do. Not when it damaged him so much. He just needed someone to convince Qrow he needed help-

Clover kept trying to punch him, he blocked with his forearms, redirecting blows. A lucky hit to the face from Clover, an unlucky elbow to the side of the head returned, throwing Clover open. Ironwood swung, and Clover took the hit to the stomach hard, he doubled forward, wheezing.

"You have to stop getting into fistfights with someone with metal arms, Ebi." He hissed, throwing Clover back against the wall, hand around his neck for the second time that day and lifting him up. "Listen-"

Clover spat in his face, a mix of blood and saliva. Ironwood growled, trying desperately to keep his own calm. It wasn't his fault that Clover had a fucking death wish, "What? Are you going to kill me, or are you going to keep me here as a pet as well?"

He stalled, arm pulled back behind his head, again, the lights above them made it hard to focus, Ironwood's face darkened with shadows.

Clover kicked hard between his legs- Ironwood felt sharp pain explode in his groin and stomach. He stumbled back, cursing himself for making steel cap boots part of the uniform.

"Cheap shot-" he managed to grunt out, wanting to throw up at the hit. Clover grabbed the back of Ironwood's head, a knee to the face quickly followed. The blow stunned him, his nose would have broken if not for his aura that stood on its last legs.

A kick sent him back, he was off balance, Clover threw himself at the General and took them both to the ground.

There wasn't room to roll them, and Ironwood was pinned. Clover tore Due Process from the front hoister, it was heavy, basically a club, not built for him. James's eyes went wide, staring down the barrel of his own gun. The shot was loud, his aura shattered from the proximity, the force slamming his head hard against the ground, he grunted, but didn't pass out.

Gasping for breath, parts of Clover throbbing in pain from metal fists as he tried to steady himself, he waited to see if Ironwood would get back up as Clover struggled to his feet.

He shuddered as he leveled the gun at the downed man. He could end him right now. Clover would definitely go to prison for this. Robyn might bail him out but he really, didn't fucking care at all right now about that. 

Ironwood had lied about everything, acting like he wasn't hurting Qrow, keeping the huntsman like an animal, disciplining him until he was compliant- washing dishes for the General, waiting for him to come home like an obedient pet.

Ironwood only stared, not moving, waiting as he closed his eyes, exhaling. "What are you waiting for, captain?"

Clover grit his teeth, finger twitching over the trigger. "I'm calling the authorities and council." He said. "Stay down." He wasn't the kind of person to kill an unarmed man with a shattered aura, not when James wasn't fighting back-

"Right." Ironwood said, wiping his face, Clover watched him carefully, watching that he didn't go for the gun that was under him on his hip. "What a mess that will be."

It would be a nightmare. Robyn can deal with it. Once they got Qrow out of here and somewhere safe they can get the evidence they need.

"Disable the nanobots." He demanded. "Qrow is leaving this hell."

James' expression shifted. He smiled, a small chuckle passed his lips as he opened his eyes, a glint of something there Clover couldn't recognize. "Why would I do that?" He asked mockingly.

"Damn you!" Clover snapped in frusteration. "I'll shoot you, you bastard! Disable them!"

"And what good will that do? It won't change the fact that I've been fucking him into the mattress, every single day since I brought him here."

Clover froze, Ironwood confirming what he had been denying this whole time. The monster chuckled, leaning forward, using his elbows to push up to face Clover properly.

"He kept screaming your name," he whispered, grinning. "He stopped fighting back, he gave up when he realized no one was coming for him. He only gave _in_ after only some persuasion. "He shifted and whinced, definitely still feeling the hit to the jewels. "He's so well behaved now, Clover. He's so _obedient_."

Clover felt every fibre of his being radiate pure hate, if he could burn this man alive, he would, if he could tear more body parts off him, he would.

Ironwood lied about everything. Hell. The guards probably gave Ironwood the idea in the first place- this had never been about protection, it had been about his own satisfaction.

He broke Qrow. His mind unable to comprehend the truth even if it was right in front of him and how it caused him so much agony.

"You deserve to die." Clover felt his hand steady.

"Then do it."

Qrow would be safe. That was worth anything. And there was a brief second, a flash of something in Ironwood's eyes as he closed them.

Acceptance.

Neither heard Qrow unlock the door. They had not moved far from it at all.

Clover never would have predicted Qrow throwing himself over Ironwood's prone body. The two Atlesian's mirrored each other's shock as Clover pulled the trigger as James shrieked out in horror.

Nothing happened. Just a click of a gun misfiring- did the bullet casing from the last shot get lodged in the barrel? He barely gave that thought. He's not sure whose semblance it was. Qrow's or his own but _fuck_ he was grateful.

Qrow looked awful, face pale and clammy, sweating, tears falling from bloodshot eyes. Clover instantly lowered the gun from where it now pointed to Qrow's face. He was on his knees at Ironwood's side, arms out across his broader body.

"Don't hurt Jimmy. Don't- don't hurt him. I'm sorry, I'm sorry Clover - please stop." He rasped with his sore throat. "I'm the one you should be mad at. I killed you."

He- Qrow couldn't be defending him? Ironwood was the reason he was like this! Confused and fearful and-

-and willing to throw himself in front of a bullet for this monster.

"Qrow, gods Qrow!" Ironwood gasped out, trying to push the smaller man off him as he pushed himself up to try and sit. But Qrow wouldn't budge, shaking his head, a violent cough shook his body.

"Why are you lying to him?" Qrow asked him, tearing up. "Why are you saying those things- why?!"

Qrow had already proven that he had barely a ground in reality. He had blocked Clover coming to the apartment out of his mind, what else had he repressed, what else had Ironwood forced him to forget? 

Why… Why did Ironwood bring Clover here in the first place? To what? Kill him? He could have done that the moment he turned his back on the General. Qrow is sick. He needed to be convinced to go to the doctor. There was no doubt about it. But- couldn't Ironwood just force him to go? Did he lie, to get a bullet lodged into his skull?

Why?

Nothing made sense.

Clover dropped the gun and to his knees. Qrow flinched, the tremble in his shoulders getting worse.

Clover didn't understand. But Qrow was sick, and terrified of Clover. It hurt to see the absolute fear on his face.

He moved slowly, Qrow watched him like a hawk. Clover made eye contact with Ironwood, looking exhausted, and not even from the fight. Clover pulled at Qrow's closest hand, trying not to yank, but keep the hands from pulling away as he used his other hand to unbutton his white vest.

Qrow pushed himself back into Ironwood who had sat up, Qrow found one of those metal hands, and Ironwood gave a small squeeze, the other arm pulled around him into an embrace.

"I'm real. I'm alive." Clover pushed the hand into his own chest, startled, Qrow tensed up, his hand bunched fabric under his fingertips, scraping against the metal plating. Clover can feel his own pounding heart. Qrow stared at his hand, then up to Clover's face. "I'm not a ghost. I'm not dead."

It seemed to be finally getting through to Qrow as his face softened. He looked to James as if for confirmation. He closed his eyes wearily as he nodded.

"Lucky Charm." Qrow inhaled, and Clover felt his entire face scrunch up, not caring for how it hurt the bruises forming on his face. Qrows hand came to his cheek, feeling him. "You're really here."

"Yeah…" he breathed, bringing his hands to Qrow's. "I'm here."

He didn't know what to feel. Joy? Anger? Relief? He was too confused to know.

"I think… something's wrong." Qrow said quietly, eyes fluttering, red glazed over. "Jim, I think… I think I should go to the doctor."

Qrow slumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James: Hey what if instead of letting Clover beat the shit out of me without a fight there is a fight  
> Me: fine that can't be helped.  
> James: And I try and make him kill me.  
> Me: sure why not- I already established that you want a bullet in your brain. How?  
> James: By convincing him I'm been assaulting Qrow.  
> Me, extensively looking up what getting your balls crushed feels like: cool. Cool cool cool


	23. Caged bound part 8

Ironwood didn’t know what to think as an unspoken truce between himself and Clover fell between them in the form of a very sick Qrow. Ironwood gently scooped the man up like he weighed nothing, panicking as Clover dived forward to check Qrow's pulse. 

"He's fine, irregularly high but manageable." Clover said, and realized with metal fingers Ironwood would not have been able to check himself.

Ironwood walked with a very apparent limp. Out of the hall and into the living room.

"Grab Wobs." Ironwood said, and realized he should have specified the pillow toy, but Clover hadn't needed context, and picked the discarded penguin off the couch.

Clover stared at its beady eyes. It was still slightly warm from when Qrow had been holding it.

He didn't know why he paused and gave it a squeeze. Was this all the comfort that Qrow had that wasn't Ironwood? A simple soft pillow shaped like a penguin?

It had to be so lonely.

“He’s developing a fever.” Ironwood informed when Clover followed him in, he had already laid Qrow down. "The stress aggravated his illness."

He moved away out of the room, avoiding Clover as he did so. Looking around the room, there were several stripes of sensor lights lining the bottom walls. Large, thick blankets had been pulled off to the floor, but Ironwood had laid Qrow in a nest of pillows that he had curled into.

Qrow's room looked normal. He didn't know what he expected, he had nightmares about what Qrow was enduring up here.

"He needs to stay hydrated." Ironwood heralded his return, but Clover had heard his steps from the kitchen.

Clover took the water bottle and the damp towel from him, not being gentle as he did so.

“I’ll watch him.” he said, not so subtly telling Ironwood to fuck off. Ironwood didn't respond, but sighed, and picked a scroll out of his front pocket.

"Temperature gauge, heartbeat and brainwaves." He said, the three graphs on the interface sleek in design but simple."The Discipline function has been permanently disabled since the incident."

"We're going to have a talk once I'm done seeing to Qrow." He said. Ironwood nodded, and walked out.

Clover didn't know what to do. He felt like he was sitting in the lion's den. He no longer heard Ironwood moving around outside. It was about 30 minutes later when Qrow stirred. 

“Hey sweet bird…”

“Hey Cloves…” He said, and Clover smiled despite himself, happy enough to be treated as alive. “Give me your hand.” Clover did so, “When a shadow touches me, it feels like it’s burning.” Qrow took his hand to Qrow's face. "You're not hot. I mean you are- you know what I mean."

Clover wanted to tease the sweet bird, always loving making him flustered when he tried to keep himself looking so cool and collected. But the blush was mixed with the flush of sick pink skin, and it was so hard to forget even for a moment, that Qrow was changed.

“Well, you do have a fever, anything would feel cool to you.” He reasoned.

"I guess you're right." Qrow nodded, then coughed. Clover passed the water bottle to him, Qrow looked to have difficulty throwing his head back to drink, but he managed. Qrow finally noticed the penguin, and beamed. “This is Wobs. Wobs, this is Clover.”

Clover tried not to look stunned, as he looked for a hint of this being a joke, but Qrow, like a small child, was introducing this soft toy to him. Qrow was sick and needed help.

He smiled weakly. “Hey, Wobs. Have you been taking care of Qrow?”

There was a pause.

“He doesn’t talk much.” Qrow said, squeezing the toy. "Jim got him for me."

"So… So he was lying completely earlier?"

Qrow's eyes shifted down.

"Yeah... I've only slept in his bed when he's at work, and a while ago when I couldn't sleep we shared." He looked up. "He was trying to get you to kill him."

Clover couldn't hide his scowl. His first instinct was the think it was to get out of a trial, the public disaster it would be. But… it still didn't make sense.

“Can you keep an eye on James for me?” Qrow asked, taking Clover out of his thoughts. “I’ve been worried about him. He's been sad, and I don't know what to do.” He sniffed. “When, when the shot went off I thought… I couldn’t risk it being fake.”

"What do you mean?"

"One day I was making breakfast. He gave me his gun. And he told me not to pretend everything was okay, and made me point it at him."

"Why?"

"He said he hurt me." Qrow said. "But I don't feel hurt, I don't know what he ment." Qrow frowned. "Then he lies to you."

"Qrow…" Clover didn't know what he really wanted to ask. "You can leave whenever you want, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Why don't you?" Clover said, and Qrow looked uncomfortable. "I mean, you don't have to leave forever, obviously, but you can go for walks, shopping, anything. But you've stayed up here."

"I… I dont have a reason to leave."

"What about the kids-"

"They don't need me." He said, squeezing the toy, rocking forward. "I just want to be here." His voice cracked. "I need James and James needs me. If anything happened to him… I don't know what I'll do."

Clover stared at him, Qrow avoided his eyes, bringing his legs closer to himself.

This… this wasn't something he could do in a day. He needed time to… convince and talk to Qrow more. He pushed bangs back from Qrow's sweaty for head. Qrow blinked up at him.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt, sweet bird." Clover said, trying to give him an assuring smile. 

'I was never in danger." Qrow said it with such sincerity and finality that Clover wanted to believe him. His eyes were half kidded, and the tired look Clover had become so familiar with exaggerated by his illness.

Clover felt his hands clench in his lap.

"Can I hug you?" He asked. "It's okay if you don't want to-"

Qrow shifted, eyes up, smiling.

"Don't get sick." He said, putting him arms out. "I'm all gross."

He didn't feel like the Qrow Clover had known, Clover felt his muscles had softened, and had noticed his cheeks were fuller. But there was still something there. A feeling. A welcoming warmth like a hearth. Despite his aloof demeanour, the young hunters never hesitated to seek out the elder if they needed something.

Even Ironwood did, Clover realized that now. Inviting him out to events, keeping the ex spy close when he could. Clover had thought it was jealousy he saw in the general's face when Clover pulled Qrow away for any reason.

It had been jealousy, but not romantic. But in the present, he could only guess that this was all done for simple companionship. Ironwood had seemed to relax, even a fraction when the huntsman was present. 

Ironwood couldn't let Qrow go.

Clover didn't want to let Qrow go either.

"Is there anything you need?" He asked him.

“Can you ask James to make me some mac and cheese?”

“Sure, okay Qrow.”

“And bacon.” Qrow clarified, and coughed again. "More frogs, damn It."

After making sure Qrow drank the rest of the water, he made his way back into the living room.

Ironwood was sitting at the dining table, head on the table like he had decided to sleep there, head turned towards the kitchen. 

"He wants mac and cheese." Clover said. Ironwood slowly sat up, and winced in pain. It was then Clover noticed the bag of frozen peas on his crotch. Feeling his cheek pulse again in pain he didn't feel all that bad for the cheap shot. "We talked."

"I assumed you did." Ironwood murmured. Not moving.

Clover sat on the end of the table.

"Tell me everything, what happened, why he's like this."

Ironwood looked up, and Clover was nearly startled at how lifeless those dark blue looked.

They sat there. Clover tried not to react at times, Ironwood spoke without emotion. The first day he talked to Qrow, bringing him to the apartment, the fighting, the aftermath off Clover coming to the apartment.

Ironwood regretted it all. But regret wasn’t going to fix anything. 

“You’re not allowed to die." He said plainly. "You’re not allowed to leave the mess you made for others to clean up for you.” Ironwood didnt speak. “You’re going to care for Qrow until he’s better, no matter how long it takes.”

Ironwood frowned. Clover didn't like it. But… He had a feeling, more then a feeling that if anything happened to Ironwood Qrow might get worse.

“I want to.” He whispered. 

“Give me the next three days off. I’m staying here. To make sure you’re both okay.” Clover said.

...Both? He didn't mean to say both, but he did.  
  
But he knew that Ironwood needed some kind of help as well. A sane man didn't think that kidnapping another person to keep in their home was a good idea in the first place. It wasn't on a whim. It was planned for days before he took Qrow from the prison.

“Sure.” He said without expression.

Qrow was sick. Ironwood was sick as well.

He had to get them both help. Ironwood deserved prison. He deserved a lot of things. But… 

He didn't want to see Ironwood in jail. He needed some form of therapy or help or _something_.

Clover just had to figure out what to do. All he knew was that Qrow was their priority. 

"Do you have another ice pack?" He asked. Feeling his cheek throb again. A lot of him was still hurting. He just needed time to recharge.

"Frozen carrots, left side top shelf."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm tired. 
> 
> Sleep time now. 
> 
> Clover: a mentally sound person doesn't kidnap a man. 
> 
> Yeah no shit.


	24. Caged bound part 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this done yesterday but i sort of??? passed out. listening to unsolved mysteries. I had weird dreams.

Clover moved in that night. He left for a short while after fixing his bruises and making his way to the academy to pack for the three days. 

So that left Ironwood to prepare a cot in the office, and organize the time off for Clover. 

Small bowl of mac and cheese and bacon for Qrow because he wanted it, and decided fuck it on cooking anything else and ordered pizza. Not room service. Pizza. The grease would be hell to get out of his hands but he didn't care. He didn't want to cook, he wasn't going to let Qrow cook sick and he doubted that Clover would want to.

Clover turned up the same time that the pizza did and carried them in, dumping his bag in the hallway.

"Why did you buy six sides?" Clover asked. Three pizzas, six sides and two soft drinks.

"I uh. Made a mistake ordering it." He admitted. The deal was confusing and he never ordered pizza before- he went wrong when adding some pudding and thought the coupon covered what he had already added as extras. So he got doubles of pudding and garlic bread. Meaning he got four garlic breads.

Not that anyone was upset over the garlic bread. Clean up was easy enough.

"James?" Qrow called out from the living room. “Are you coming?”

“Not tonight, I’m tired.” He said. And he was tired, his aura was slowly recharging itself, and more then psychically he was just plain burnt out from the fight. There was a tension still between Clover and Ironwood that they were doing their best to avoid and ignore.

Qrow had never been one for being subtle. Qrow hummed low in his throat disapprovingly, James paused.

“We did wail on each other pretty hard Qrow.” Clover told him, sending a meaningful look Ironwood’s way. “He’s got work tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah. ‘Long as you don’t beat each other up again, cause I want us to watch a movie tomorrow.” He turned to leave for his room, already grateful for Clover's presents. “Hey, get back here.” Qrow said, Ironwood turned in time for Qrow to throw himself at him with an umpth!, giving him a squeeze around the middle. “Night Jim. See you in the morning?"

Qrow never asked that before, so why had Qrow felt the need to ask? Ironwood felt his heart sink, coming to a conclusion.

 _"Come back safe."_ Qrow had said when he left for work that morning, after Qrow had taken Due Process off him. Qrow had never said it again after that- He needed verbal confirmation that Ironwood would come back alive.

Clover was right. Ironwood wasn't allowed to die. 

“Y-Yeah. Goodnight, Qrow.” he said, returning the hug, being gentle with his arms. For a moment he rested his head on top of Qrow's head. He couldn’t stomach reaching out. But he would allow himself to accept the affection Qrow offered. He liked it too much, he liked the warmth.

He did not sleep for hours, he heard the other two eventually go to bed at around 10, he had heard Clover open the balcony door and go outside for a while and come back in.

He woke up later than usual, his alarm only just about to go off and he smelt something cooking in the kitchen.

“Qrow, you shouldn’t be-” he started as he rounded the corner, only to see Clover at the stove.

The two atlesian’s blinked at each other. Clover looked like he had just rolled out of bed and half asleep and Ironwood was pretty much a literal example as well. Neither had ever seen the other off duty and so underdressed. A half drunk cup of coffee was next to the pan. 

“He insisted on making breakfast, and I insisted on not giving the two of us the flu.” Clover explained, focusing back on flipping the french toast.

"I have been banished!" Qrow said from the living room. Ironwood could hear the game he played.

"Keep your germs in there!"

Qrow was much livelier now with Clover here. It had been a slow build from the meekness he demonstrated the first few days after the incident, the quietness as Qrow slowly got his bareings with his new reality. It was as if he didn't know what to do with himself besides sit in the living room.

His reality now included Clover being alive. Ironwood had not known that Qrow thought the ace operative dead, that he had made himself believe that Clover had died and never turned up to the apartment-

Because he had blocked out when Ironwood used the nanobots on him- Ironwood wasn't sure that current Qrow even knew of the nanobots inside him. Ironwood didn't know how to ask him without the risk of upsetting him.

"Whipped cream?" Clover asked, Ironwood nodded, and after a few moments was pushing a plate of French toast towards him.

The whipped cream was shaped as a really crude penis. Ironwood snorted at the juvenile act, pouring himself some coffee. "You're an artist."

Ironwood went to work. Saying goodbye to Qrow as well as Clover was strange, but he finally felt at ease leaving Qrow at the apartment. He still worked not to think about them.

Clover might be able to get through to Qrow on things that Ironwood had not been able to. 

It was getting close to the time he would call the apartment to check on Qrow when Winter came into his office.

"Sir? Permission to speak freely?" Winter asked.

"Of course Winter."

"Did something happen yesterday?" She was frowning lightly, and Ironwood was confused. The confrontation in the hall had been… not exactly private even if he had checked for personnel, and rumours had a tendency to spread.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He lied.

"I've noticed you and Operative Ebi have been at odds with each other recently." She continued. 

Unfortunately Ironwood had been using Winter as an in between for himself and Clover, which wasn't fair on her especially as she didn't know what was going on. He very subtly added a few vacation days to her name if she ever were to use it- which he had been encouraging her to take to spend with family.

"I do admit that we have been disagreeing on certain topics. But we have spoken at length about it and everything should be fine now. I gave him time off." He said, it wasn't a lie. Leave because he asked for it, paid because it only felt fair.

"I understand."

"Is there anything else you would like to ask?" 

"No sir."

"Then allow me to speak freely." He put his own down, she froze like he was about to tell her off. "I appreciate you immensely. You made some hard decisions in the battle against Salem, and I don't think I ever properly thanked you for your service."

She still seemed tense. "You don't need to thank me, I was doing my duty."

"You faced the fall maiden, broke several ribs and not a day later you were up again commanding tropes. Even the most hardy huntsmen and huntresses would struggle to do the same." 

"Thank you, sir." She said, but still looked uncomfortable.

She dismissed herself, and he was still thinking over the conversation, wondering what prompted her to come speak to him about Clover- then realized he was late to the call and immediately dialed home.

“Clover, how are things?”

It was a brief call, he could hear Qrow in the background. Nothing wrong, situation normal. No shadows, no incidents, fever down.

But there was better news.

“Qrow is serious about going to the doctor.” Clover said. “He wants to talk to you about it himself when you get back.”

“Thank you, you miracle worker.” He let slip out, and heard Clover chuckle lightly on the other end. At least some of the tension was going away. Thankfully.

“It just took some time. However-” Ironwood waited as Clover gathered his words. “I want to get him to go outside, at least once before the appointment, so he’s not immediately overwhelmed.”

“That’s doable.” Ironwood said, and was about to continue before Qrow was louder than before.

“Tell Jim I’m alive! And he’s missing out on reheated garlic bread.”

“Tell him I’m jealous.”

“I’m telling you both that Qrow can come to the phone to talk to you- I’m not replaying messages!” he said loudly so Qrow can also hear him from the living room, and sighed. “Over and out.”

“You’re off duty you don’t have to sound like a boot licker-” he heard Qrow on the other end before the hang up.

Ironwood realized he was smiling to himself.

There was a sense of a weight lifting from his shoulders. He knew he didn’t have Clover’s trust back, not by a long shot. But they can both agree that they wanted to help Qrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter, once she left the office: oh no he's got clover.
> 
> October is nearly done! and now i'm back on winter, and I want to go back to the Schnee fic and just. spa day? spa day.
> 
> and with nanowrimo around the corner i'm going to use it to get back into straw. yall gonna have to deal with so many schnees.


	25. Cage bound part 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit 9 nice 8 wake ip

Clover made a call to Robyn once Qrow was in bed, going to sit on the balcony. He knew Ironwood wasn't asleep, you don't sleep after a fight like that. 

"Robyn."

"Ebi, you better have a good reason to be calling me this late." There was a sharpness in her tone, and perhaps he was calling a tad late, and he had never really called her before. He couldn't call Winter, still not wanting to compromise her position. Things were still volatile, he had no idea what Ironwood would be like tomorrow- going by his shifts in reasoning the day before- he had to be careful.

"I got an update on Qrow." He said, "I'll be staying with Ironwood and Qrow for three days, I've made a deal with him, basically-"

He informed her of everything that had happened in the last 12 or so hours, she stayed silent for most of it, so he barely had to pause.

"So you're fine, and Qrow is fine." Robyn clarified. He stretched, feeling his muscles still in pain, but healing.

"I'm going to do what I can to help- help Qrow… And… Ironwood."

He waited for what was coming.

"You can't be serious." She said flatly, and he cringed at her tone.

"I am. Hear me out. He's done shit, tried to leave Mantle, let Watts help-"

"He kidnapped a man, Clover!" She said, disbelieving. "He left his so called friend to rot in an prison and get fucking abused by the guards!"

It was one of the things Ironwood showed the most remorse about. According to Qrow who had told Ironwood, the time the guards had to call a medical unit was the only time anything physical happened- but he had been withholding Qrow's food for a week, and the other guards hadn't stopped him.

It explained a lot of things, it explained his near religious devotion to making sure Qrow was full. Clover had noticed the sudden shift to using more AK's as personnel again, commissioning for their AI to be enhanced. Less trust in human soldiers that wasn't his inner circle.

"He didn't know-" he started too quickly. 

"Gods, you're defending him?" She snapped."I've heard enough. Don't call again."

"Wait, Robyn-" She didn't wait, and terminated the call. He sighed heavily.

Great. Another thing to the list of shit that he had to deal with. He spent a few minutes answering some messages from the ace operatives, giving better instructions than he did earlier before he left.

He made sure to lock the door when coming back in from the balcony, and the temperature difference was staggering. 

He had his work cut out for him.

\-----

Clover was alive and moved in. It was only for a couple of days, and it was a change from what Qrow was used to, and he couldn’t help but be excited.

Qrow had not wanted visitors. He did not want anyone near him that wasn't James. He had everything he wanted and needed right here.

And now he was alone with Clover again. It was different to the night before. James was in the other room.

He was excited. He was nervous. He was hiding that by going straight back to his game.

"Qrow?" Clover said, coming into the living room after a short clean up. Qrow was in the middle of fighting something in the game.

"Yes?" Qrow answered.

"Is this what you do all day?" He tried not to sound judgemental, only curious.

"Nope. Sometimes I sleep." He grinned at his own joke, but Clover looked like he thought Qrow was serious. "I've been a little obsessed with this one, so I haven't been doing much else."

"What else can you do here?"

"Read, but I get headaches. I like baking, I only set the fire alarm off once. I still haven't made a cake!" Qrow said. "I gave myself hypothermia like a dickhead and have been sick since." 

"Why do you want to make a cake?" He asked.

"For James." Qrow said, Clover raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I remember he said he doesn't really celebrate his birthday, so he doesn't get a birthday cake. So I want to make him a cake."

He had not had his first birthday cake until Beacon, and he didn't share it with his sister, she had her own. Summer had made matching, but separate cakes.

He remembers tearing up. He remembers Raven tearing up. He remembers the group hug, and how Summer was going to make them cake every year for the rest of her life.

She kept that promise. Baking reminded him of her, of good times.

"We can make a cake." Clover said, seeing that Qrow's eyes were glazing over. "You tell me what to do and we can make something."

Qrow beamed.

Baking was not something Clover ever imagined they would do together. While Qrow was no expert he had enough experience- but Clover had more than enough experience.

"Shit, you don't even need a recipe?" Qrow said.

"I've made enough cakes to know sponge cake off by heart. "I also made the cake for the kids when they got their licenses."

"You must not have had a lot of time to make it." Qrow said, thinking back. Jim saying he wanted to give the kids their licenses literally the night they landed and that massive cake less than 24 hours later.

"Believe me I was panicking, going into the mines was stress relief." He laughed. They decided on chocolate frosting because it paired with the chocolate chip mint ice cream James had in his freezer. ("Gross." Qrow said)

"Qrow, you said you gave yourself hypothermia…" Clover said, once they had finally put the cake in the oven. He had a very hard time with Qrow keeping his hands to himself and not putting it in the mix. "Do you remember why you went outside?"

Qrow was looking up a recipe for frosting as he leaned on the counter.

"Not… not really." He admitted. "Sometimes I go outside for some air. And… and think about going flying."

"Why don't you?" Clover pressed. Qrow had always had the habit of disappearing at odd times before the election, and it took a few weeks for Clover to even know that Qrow was turning into a bird to go for a fly to clear his head.

Knowing now that Qrow's movements had been restricted by the nanobots, he thought Qrow would be dying to go for a fly, and Ironwood mentioned that Qrow left after he deactivated the nanobots- but was back the next morning.

"I don't know. When I look up I feel… like it's calling me. But I don't want to leave." He found himself wrapping his own arms around his middle. He had left Wobs on the couch. "It's dumb. But if I went for a fly, I feel like… I wouldn't be able to find my way home."

"So you want to go for a fly, but don't think you can find your way back?"

"Yeah… and I was thinking about it, and I don't think… I realized how wet I was getting." He laughed nervously. Clover just looked concerned. "I really worried Jim."

Qrow straightened up, looking uncomfortable now. "I'm going to go… Lay down for a while."

"You've only been awake for a few hours." Clover said, Qrow was oversleeping quite a bit, if Ironwood was correct. "What if I played that game and you guide me through it?"

It was reasonable enough, they reheated some of the garlic bread and made themselves comfortable. Qrow laid on the couch, Wobs in his arms as he watched the screen, Clover taking a seat on the floor with his back against the couch. 

Qrow went quiet for a while, and Clover looked behind him to see Qrow was looking off to the side, into a corner.

"Qrow?" He said, and slowly reached his hand out. Qrow didn't respond, and jumped when he noticed the hand coming his way. He sat up.

"Sorry. I…" he deflated. "I should go to a doctor. I know I should."

Clover pulled himself up and sat next to him on the couch, Qrow moved, pulling his legs in close. "Why do you feel like you can't?" He asked.

"Don't want to leave." He said, feeling uneasy. The idea of going into the hallway made him sick, and the very idea of leaving the building has his stomach turning in on itself.

"You won't be alone, you know that right?" 

"James would have to go with me." He mumbled. "He gets upset. He tries not to show it but he's upset."

Clover's eyebrows tweaked down. He had the feeling that Qrow was actually downplaying how often he was seeing things, from how his eyes flicked, how he avoided certain spots in the apartment, how he winced for no seeable reason.

Ironwood had the same feeling, but never pried farther than what Qrow told him. By giving Qrow the space he denied the shapeshifter he couldn't help as much as he wanted to.

"We're worried about you." Clover said slowly. "And, he doesn't want to push or force you to do anything you don't want. But he really just wants you to get better. And I do too."

"I don't want to worry you guys and… I don't like being scared."

"What makes you not scared?"

"James. And Wobs." He gave Clover a lopsided grin. "And you."

Clover felt his ears heat up, as Qrow buried his face into Wobs and avoided his gaze.

Clover didn't know the right feeling for it. He liked Qrow, more than liked him as a friend… But he wasn't going to pursue anything. Not until shit wasn't as volatile. But he still smiled wide and goofy.

"I'm glad I can make you feel safe." He said.

"I'll… I'll go to the doctor." Qrow said. "I just need to talk to James about it, but I want you to go with me."

Clover smiled again, "I will, don't worry about that." His hands twitched. He didn't want to step a boundary again-

He still feels red thinking about the kiss, and how neither had mentioned it. If Qrow even remembered. And he didn't want to bring that day up.

"You don't have to ask for hugs." Qrow puffed, as if reading his mind. Clover smiled sheepishly.

"Hugs good. Feel good." He said, and squeezed strong shoulders. "Can I take a nap now?"

"Fiiiine." Clover said, "but not on me." Qrow whined disaprovingly. "I'm not opposed, just it would break my heart to wake you up to get the cake."

"Won't break my heart."

Get Qrow to agree to go to the doctor for his issues: check.

Get Ironwood to agree to go to a doctor for his issues: in process.


	26. Cage bound part 11

Qrow was very, very tired when Ironwood got home, but that didn't stop Qrow calling out to greet him.

"Jaaaaaames." Qrow cawed out.

“Qroow.” He called back, smiling slightly, removing his coat to deposit at the coat hanger by the door. “I got donuts.”

“Dooonuts.” he mimicked. Clover had him on the couch, bundled up. Outwardly, Ironwood raises an eyebrow but inwardly he felt something harden in his stomach at the arms around Qrow, how close they were- Clover straightens up a little, pulling away when he saw where Ironwood's eyes landed. Qrow didn't seem to notice tension rising. "Come watch cooking videos with us!"

He got changed and came back to Clover having moved to check on a slow cooker in the kitchen that had to have been dug out from the very bottom of his cabinet, forgetting he had one in the first place. 

"It will be another two hours." Clover said, not looking at him. 

Why did Clover act like he had some something wrong? Why did Ironwood clench his fists at the thought of someone else being close to Qrow?

Ironwood wasn't sure that there was anything that Clover couldn't cook. When they were done with dinner, slow cooked pulled beef and potatoes Qrow was bringing out a cake.

“What's the occasion?" Ironwood asked. 

"Having cake is the occasion." Qrow said, already digging into his slice. 

He didn't know what to make of Clover's behavior. They hadn't so much discussed what they would do moving forward. Qrow needed a doctor, yes, but telling his family where he was, and his current state had been a hard no. No doubt his nieces would be furious, they would want their uncle back- but what could they do that James wasn't already trying? What can they do, as they make their way across remnant. He was safe here.

* * *

A movie later, and James felt dizzy. He went to go sit up on the couch, it was a few degrees cooler there, and the chance of scenery was good. His eyes were closed, not intending to sleep, but his scroll vibrated.

Qrows heart rate had increased, not a lot, but it was him dreaming. His heart rate continued to increase, before it steadied out into consciousness. It only took a few moments for Qrow to get up and pad out of his room, still looking tired, looking around the hall to see who was up.

"Nightmare?" James asked. Qrow nodded.

"I was burning alive." He shuffled on his feet. "I could smell it. It was really gross."

James knew the smell of burning flesh well. He sat up a little to give Qrow room to sit. Qrow curled up like he usually does against his chest, Wobs in his arms like always. James curls his arms around the smaller man, feeling that they fit perfectly together.

It is quiet. He doesn’t know if Qrow is seeking comfort, but he wants to give it anyway. 

"Can Clover keep visiting?" Qrow asked, sounding half asleep.

"I can't see why not." Ironwood answered. Clover being here felt almost normal, like he was supposed to be here to help them. But ultimately it was up to Clover. 

"I like him being here." Qrow continued. “He makes good food."

"Don't like my cooking?" James teased, still looking up at the dark ceiling.

"Your spice rack was barely touched before."

“Fair enough.” 

He had no idea if Clover was asleep or not, or if either Qrow or himself woke him up.

"You should go to bed." Qrow said, turning his head up. It was late. He had work tomorrow, but he couldn't rest.

"I have a sleepy Qrow on my chest." James said.

"You can carry me."

"Was this your plan? To get me to carry you?" He chuckled.

"I like being held." Qrow confessed. "It feels good."

He liked having a hand on Qrow's back, chin nuzzled in dark locks. Feeling close to someone, being close.

"It feels good for me as well."

He wanted to not feel guilt for a few minutes and enjoy the moment.

"James?"

"Hmm?"

"Please don't let yourself die." 

Jame felt like he had been sucker punched as his eyes snapped open. Qrow wasn’t stupid, just hurt, just confused. He knew what Ironwood had tried to do when Clover had his gun.

"I won't." 

"Promise.” Qrow said, shifting, James could feel Qrow grip his sweater. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

He couldn't. Qrow needed care now, and he couldn't trust anyone else to do it but himself and clover. Not enough money in the world could hire somewhere to look after him and make sure he wasn't being taken advantage of in the state he was in. Not when his own people he thought he could trust tried already.

He can't let that happen, not when he was the one to make Qrow so vulnerable.

"I promise."

Qrow can't be fixed like James was. They can't replace what is missing with metal and oil and wires. Qrow had agreed to go to a doctor, and he would make the appointment once Qrow was comfortable leaving.

The soft snoring from Qrow indicated he had fallen asleep. James didn't want to wake him, shifting slightly to lay more vertically. 

This was their thing. This was something he couldn't let Clover take from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but I couldn't figure out what to do from here, and this one if rife with possibilities that I have no idea which path to go down.


	27. Barbed Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Character death. the tundra scene in volume 7 chapter 12
> 
> In which Qrow refuses to fight with Tyrian.

  
There is a scramble in the snow, white powder kicking up as three huntsmen fight for their lives.

It was a threeway fight. Let’s put the kid to bed. Tyrian has said, in a seriousness that seemed almost sane. Qrow snarled at him. 

Qrow wasn’t trying to kill Clover, he was trying to slit the deranged faunus’s throat before he could return the favour. Clover, on the other hand, was concentrating on wearing Qrow down, which lead to openings on Qrow that Tyrian took advantage off- and Qrow for the life of him could not allow an opening to appear on Clover. So he took hits he wouldn’t take, he felt his aura draining fast.

The sun will be up soon, but the tundra is below zero, be can feel the air freezing in his own lungs. He and Clover had tried to come up with an explanation on why exactly Clover could last longer in the cold before it began to wear on his aura. They brought up luck, they brought up gauges on how Clover was more used to the cold-

“You’re being a fucking idiot, Ebi!” He screamed, the sound devoured by the vastness around them. Another hit, Qrow knew he was at the end of his rope.

He could retreat, he could run, but that meant leaving Clover and Robyn with Tyrian, and Qrow wouldn’t risk Tyrian getting the upper hand.

He stayed close to Clover, his hook couldn’t snag him at such a close range. The moment of sheer panic when he had dashed for Tyrian, ready to strike and he felt the tug of Harbinger’s handle be torn back above his head, leaving him so horrifically open. He was lucky that Tyrian was still so far away, that he had not bridged the gap to strike him while he was vulnerable.

He was so, fucking angry. But he kept a cool head, he gritted his teeth, and protected his partner- 

Tyrian manages to disarm Clover after a swift kick to the chest. Grabbing the fishing rod, a press of a button retracting the line. Qrow’s heart leaps, and he is moving before he registers he’s moving.

Clover is lucky. Qrow is unlucky.

It was always meant to happen like this.

Kingfisher was also a harpoon. Clover rarely used it, but Qrow knew it was there. It was his own mistake. It grazed the edge of Harbinger and Qrow came to Clover’s aid, unarmed, defenceless- he doesn’t think. He was meant to direct it away-

It breaks through his aura, shattering it, piercing it and his chest, his heart, exiting on the other side of his body. 

“Qrow!” He feels himself fall back into a chest, but he could only stare at the pole that was in his chest-

Tyrian yanks the harpoon out and Qrow knows he is doomed, he feels the pull of the barb tearing through him, but not the pain. He hears Clover scream so loudly that his ears ring.

Tyrian takes his chance to run, fleeing towards the city. Clover is panicking, and so gently lays Qrow down, hands on his chest, putting pressure on a wound that he cannot hope to stem the flow.

Qrow is furious. Qrow feels the last of his heat bubble in his words as he looks into an ocean of green.

“What are you waiting for?! Go after him!” Blood spluttered from his mouth, spitting across the snow. He could feel boiling blood seep into his clothes. He can see the indecision in Clover’s eyes. “GO!” he manages, before feeling his throat tighten.

Clover says something, he can’t make it out, he thinks it might be ‘hang in there.’ Clover runs for the fleeing serial killer, and Qrow is alone.

Everything happened in less than fifteen seconds, his vision blurs, he cannot control the muscles in his eye ducts as tears release, they feel so hot on his skin. The cold was biting at him, numbing him so quickly it was just the dull throb of the stab. He clutches at the snow, there is nothing to hold onto when he is desperate to find stability as he curls to his side.

Almost hypnotically, he watches blood pool into the snow. They say life flashes before your eyes before you die. He can’t even think as his body gives out. He wants to think of loved ones, but he can’t. He can’t even bring up their faces. It's what stings more than the numbness in his fingers, in his chest.

He didn’t notice that the world had gone silent. He doesn't notice time tick away, He didn’t notice the blood in his veins ease like drying rivers in autumn. He didn’t hear Clover slide across the snow as he dived back to Qrow's prone form, begging him to respond to the ace operative. Qrow didn’t hear the cackling of Tyrian, who had not thought that Clover would come after him and had been attached to the hull of the downed ship by bolas. 

He didn’t feel himself be cradled, arms tight and shaking, hands covered in his blood from where he had tried to stop the blood flow when he returned. But there was nothing.

He thinks of the ocean, as green and familiar as his own hands. He thinks of himself standing on the cusp of where lazy waves and the land, feet bare in the cold sand.

He smells seawater on his face as he stares out into the waking day.

He walks into the water, feeling the waves push him back like it wanted to reject him, push him back to land. All the same, it pulls him in, the resistance ceased as he felt the tides around him, comforting him like a blanket, like an embrace.

Qrow dips his head under, feeling his feet leave the shelf, and he feels like he weighs nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit, I'm not having a good time. Straw has become so much harder to write because of shit, fics that I want to write but find myself stalling and anxious and a lot of mixed feelings. 
> 
> it will pass, this is not me asking for sympathy, this is just. venting. because it helps when I write stuff like this.
> 
> So now that volume 8 is half out or whatever, I have more stuff to go off and want to explore the effect of Qrow dying instead on volume 8. i want to continue this, but let's see where we go from here. 
> 
> thank you all for your comments, I love you all in a way I can't express in writing. thank you for being patient with me.


End file.
